War Of The Plates
by mr.myxsiple
Summary: An Umbreon named Shade is forcefully thrust into a great war. There, he experiences friendship, pain and love. Pls review. Complete
1. Chapter 1

**I DON'T OWN POKEMON**

* * *

CHAPTER 1

"Hey, Shade wake up. Shaaade. C'mon dude, get up already."

I sighed as I slowly woke up though I kept my eyes close, trying to get some last second sleep but that all too familiar voice kept talking.

"C'mon Shade, get up. Berg, Chi and Scuttle're already at breakfast."

"Alright, alright. I'll get up Slice." I finally got up and yawned and scratched the back of my ear. Turning over, I saw a Sneasel smirking at me-Slice, my best friend/sidekick/second-command of our team.

I fixed my pillow and blanket orderly on my bed. I walked over to the mirror on the side of the room. An Umbreon with messy fur stared back at me. I patted my fur until it looked smooth before walking out the door with Slice.

Together, be started to walk down the hallway that led to the dinning room. A few other Pokemon were still making their way to the dinning hall while others went in the opposite direction, probably to get some more rest before training started.

Just then, I noticed that Slice wasn't next to me. I looked behind and saw him flirting with a Frosslass. That was so typical of him, flirting with almost every girl he saw. I went over to see how he's doing.

"So, how does having dinner with just me tonight sound?" he asked trying to sound cute.

"Hmph. No." the Frosslass replied before walking off causing Slice to sigh.

"Wow, you're a real charmer Slice." I said laughing a little.

"Oh shut up." he told me before we continued walking towards the dinning room.

The dinning room was a large room with grey colored walls like the hallways and the rooms. To one side were several baskets filled with different berries and in the middle of the room were several small tables for five.

Slice and I grabbed a plate from near the door before helping ourselves to the berries before taking a seat. Not everyone sat by teams but ours did. Slice and I found the table where our team mates were.

Berg's a Drifloon and our aerial attacker. He's actually really strong and can lift me high in the air to get a good view of the area. He likes to sleep during his free time.

Scuttle's a Skorupi. He, Slice and I are classmates in Dark type training though during those times, he's with his other friends.

Chi's a Meditite and a rather quiet one. She doesn't talk much and usually spends her time meditating in our room. Every time someone asked or told her something, her reply would be short and straight to the point. The longest conversation I've had with her was when I asked her about her family. After she told me about her parents, she shut up and continued meditating. Even though she's quiet, she's really strong and a valuable member of our team.

"Hey guys." I said to my team mates as I sat down. Berg and Scuttle greeted me back but Chi just nodded at me before taking a bite out of an Oran Berry.

We never talked much at breakfast because we're still a bit sleepy. After breakfast was over, an Exploud blew his horn and we, along with the rest of the teams, went to the training yard where we would do our team training for an hour.

Our training's actually quite simple. First, we ran a few laps before going through hoops on the grounds that were actually Ekans that volunteered. After that, we headed towards large ice chunks and rammed them. This was to test our strength and after that, we should destroy it with an attack. After the chunks were destroyed by my Hyper Beam, Slice's Night Slash, Scuttle's Pin Missile, Berg's Shadow Ball and Chi's Hi Jump Kick, a Snover used Ice Beam to make more chunks for the teams that followed us.

This was our team training every day.

After an hour, the Exploud blew his horn signaling the end of team training. Now, we had to go to training corresponding to our type for the rest of the day.

We live in the nation of the Crimson Fang. The types taught here are: Dark, Ice, Fighting, Rock, Poison, Dragon, Ghost and Bug. I'm one of the lucky Pokemon in the academy being a pure Dark type. Dual types had to go through two periods of training for both of their types. It's both an advantage and a disadvantage because having one type means a free second period yet being a Dual type gives you more training, making you stronger.

Everyone but Chi, Berg and I have to go through two periods. Like some Dual types, Chi and Berg have only one period because Psychic and Flying type training's taken up on the other nation.

Our nation, the Crimson Fang, has been at war with the other nation, the Amber Fang, for a long long LONG time. The different types had decided upon their loyalties and Psychic and Flying types went to Amber Fang. Because of that Chi doesn't take Psychic type training and Berg, Flying. Yet for some reason, there's no bias on what moves we use. We can use moves that are the types from Amber Fang and no one gets mad at us.

Scuttle, Slice and I headed for Dark type training while Berg went to Ghost and Chi to Fighting. It was a large training room and we arrived and waited with other Dark types before our trainer, an Absol, arrived.

"Alright everyone listen up!" he yelled when he arrived. "No missions today so we're all training!"

A few Pokemon groaned. Slice sighed and said: "Aw man, I was hoping for some action today."

Usually before we start training or during breakfast, our trainer or an instructor would announce the teams that would go on a mission. The benefit: no training and a chance to go into battle yet there's always a chance you won't go home alive.

"We haven't been on a mission in weeks!" Slice complained as we paired up for training. He sent used Night Slash on me and I dodged it.

"I'm actually kinda glad." I replied before using Faint Attack to reappear behind him. I ram him and knocked him back.

"Oh yeah, you don't really like fighting don't you?" Slice slashed me with his claw. I ducked before hitting him again.

He was right; I'm a peaceful at heart. I hate fighting. I hate this war. The only reason I'm fighting is because my parents were fighters. Once your parents are fighters, it's like saying you'll be next.

Once you're sent into battle, there's usually one rule: kill or be killed. Personally, I'm against killing even killing my enemy. It's just not my thing so what I do is knock my opponent out or at least hurt them enough that they run away. The rest of my team feels the same way. Our no fatality reputation earned us the nickname "Team 0 Kill".

After training it was time for lunch. After pulling Slice away from flirting with a Houndour, we, along with Scuttle, went down to the dinning hall to have lunch. Berg and Chi were already there when we arrived.

"Hey, Team 0 Kill!" a voice behind me yelled out. I turned around and saw a Gabite named Dart. He's the bullying type. "Guess who killed a Jolteon in one hit?"

"You I guess." I replied.

"That's right." he said proudly. "Tell me, how many Jolteons have you killed?"

"None."

"Exactly. How're you gonna get stronger if you don't finish anyone off? Just make one kill, c'mon, it's fun."

"Fun?" I looked at him with disgust. My voice rose a bit with every sentence. "Fun that I have to take a life? Fun that I have to take away someone from their family forever? You call that fun?"

The other Pokemon had turned their attention to us. I heard Slice, Berg and Scuttle calm me down before Dart frowned and said: "I don't like your tone Shady."

"Is there a problem here?" a Toxicroak instructor said coming between us. Dart and I shook our heads before the horn sounded, signaling the start of second period. Dart glared at me before leaving.

"C'mon dude, cheer up." Slice said putting a claw on my back. "Dart's just a bully, don't mind him."

"You're right." I said in reply. He and Scuttle went off to their second period training while Berg, Chi and I went back to our room.

When we arrived Berg went over to his bed and slept while Chi sat on her bed and began to meditate. As for me, I went over to the table nearby and pick up a book in footprint runes. This is what I do during this time: read this book which was about the history of the war. I relaxed myself and read the first part where it all began.

_Long, long, long ago, there existed a great Pokemon paradise called the Nation of the Twin Fangs. In this utopia, all Pokemon coexisted in peace and harmony. They were kind and gentle to one another for many years. This great nation was ruled by the Council of 17 represented by the 17 types._

_One day, the clouds in the sky parted and the Alpha Pokemon Arceus descended onto the nation. Arceus gave the Council of 17 the plates corresponding to their types. According to him, he gave the plates so that peace may be reinforced in the nation._

_For years, peace was maintained but the Council began to fight with each other. Each and every one of them wanted the plates for themselves. Alliances were formed and the Nation of the Twin Fangs was divided in two: the Crimson Fang and the Amber Fang._

_And so, the War of the Plates began._

_Under this alliance, Crimson Fang took in Dark, Ice, Fighting, Rock, Poison, Dragon, Ghost and Bug types while Amber Fang took in Fire, Water, Flying, Psychic, Grass, Ground, Electric and Steel types. Dual types can decide upon their loyalty and choose either nation to live in; the same went with the Normal types._

_Both nations are led by two groups: the Crimson Council and the Amber Council. Both councils oversee what is happening in their nation as well as being in charge of its military. Though the original members of the Council of 17 had already passed away, the current leaders retain the possession of the plates and their desire remained the same._

I closed the book and stared out the window near my bed. I caught a glimpse of Berg napping away and Chi meditating.

That Pokemon utopia, the Nation of the Twin Fangs…I wish I was there when it was still peaceful before it got destroyed by greed.

A great utopia where everyone was happy…

…how could it be so fragile?

* * *

KEY TO CHARACTER NAMES:

Shade(Umbreon)- Umbreon's a Night Pokemon

Slice(Sneasel)-Because of his claws

Berg(Drifloon)-Named after the the Hindenburg, the blimp that exploded in 1937

Scuttle(Skorupi)-Named after the way scorpions move

Chi(Meditite)-From Tai Chi

Dart(Gabite)-Dart means to move quickly


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

After Slice woke me up, we went over to the dinning hall to have breakfast. Berg, Chi and Scuttle were already there when we arrived. Since it was a Saturday, there wasn't any training. Most teams would just stay at the academy while others, including ours, would use this time and spend it with our families. The only rule is that we have to be back by dinner.

We finished breakfast and the five of us went over to the gate leading to the outside area. We waited with the other teams who were going out until the gates opened and we were let out.

I said bye to my teammates before they left to see their fammilies and began my walk home. My home isn't that far from the academy. As I walked, I passed by regular everyday Pokemon doing their business. As I walked, I heard snippets of conversation.

"Did you hear what happened to the last batch of harvesters?"

"No. What happened?"

"Killed! Every single one killed by Amber Fang Pokemon!"

"Wait, I thought they were protected by a Crimson Fang team."

"They were killed too."

"That's horrible. I wish this war would end soon."

I agreed without saying anything.

I reached the street where my house was. I remembered this street from my childhood; Children Pokemon were running around playing happily.

I arrived at my house which was at the end of the street. It was a normal looking house that could easily be missed if you were speeding by. I opened the gate and stepped inside.

"Man, it's good to be home." I muttered as I closed the door. I tokk a good look at the living room before walking to the kitchen. It was a bit dusty and that wasn't my concern now. I went over to our garden.

"Hey dad. Hey mom." I said entering the garden. It was a simple garden with no trees nor flowers. It was just a simple garden with grass covering it and a wooden fence sorrounding it. I was also alone in the garden.

My greeting was directed at a slab of stone at the end of the garden. I walked up to it and read the words on it.

HERE LIE OBSCURUM AND CALIGA

MAY THEY BE IN OUR HEARTS FOREVER

Both of my parents were dead. They were powerfull Umbreon when they were alive but they were killed in battle. Their remains were taken from the battlefield and burried here. I remembered my dad's last words to me.

"Remember Shade, if you ever end up fighting, then fight for what's important to you."

That was his and mom's motto. What was important to them was me so they fought in order to create a future where I could live happily. I kept that motto in my mind even when I entered the academy three days after their funeral.

"Hey guys guess what?" I said sitting down. I knew they couldn't reply but it felt good to talk to someone. "Dart picked a fight with me yesterday. He said that...that it was fun killing enemy Pokemon."

"I knew you guys never killed like me. Maybe that's why you guys died." I chuckled a bit.

My stomach grumbled in hunger and I left to get some lunch. I found some berries in the kitchen and put them on a plate and ate in front of my parents' grave.

When I finished, I decided to take a walk for a while. I took one last look at my parents' grave before putting my plate in the kitchen and leaving my house.

I walked around for a while until I heard a commotion. It seemed to come from a street nearby. I went over and saw what was going on.

It looked like a parade and at the head was the Crimson Council. I didn't memorize their names but they were a Mightyena, Glalie, Machamp, Rampardos, Dragonite, Muk, Dusknoir, Kriketune and Ursaring. They were walking proudly while behind them, guard carried around captured Amber Fang Pokemon. Flanking around prisoners was one of their methods of showing that they were in charge.

One of the prisoners was a Bedrill. He tried to fly away but the Scizor guard holding him made sure he didn't fly away. Then, I heard someone from the crowd shout at the Beedril: "Heh, that's what you get for messing with us! Just die already you stupid Amber Fang Pokemon!"

I looked over to who shouted and saw that it was a Crimson Fang Beedrill.

That's what I hate the most about this was-some Pokemon turn against their own species. I finnaly had enough and left the parade and continued walking around.

"Shade, how are you?" said Dahlia, a kind Vileploom who's only staying here because she's part Poison type, as I passed by her flower stall.

"I'm fine. How's business Dahlia?" I asked.

"It's fine but I'm only getting five customers a day." she replied. "By the way, have you seen the parade?"

"Yeah."

"It's horrible the way they make themselves look good." Dahlia said angrily. "They're the ones who want this war to continue not us."

She was right. Almost every Pokemon in the nation wanted this war to end while others, including Dart, that Beedrill and the Crimson Council, wanted it to go on.

I bought some flowers from Dahlia and went back to my house. I placed the flowers on my parents' grave before going to my room.

Memories of my childhood entered my head as I entered my old room. As I walked around, I saw something under my bed. I pulled it out and saw that it was one of my old books about Pokemon mythology. I sat down on my bed and began to read my favorite one. A picture accompanied every name.

_Arceus, the creator_

_Dialga, the master of time_

_Palkia, the master of space_

_Giratina, the banished one_

_Azelf, the being of willpower_

_Uxie, the being of memory_

_Mespirit, the being of emotion_

_Kyogre, the expander of the sea_

_Groudon, the king of the earth_

_Rayquaza, the lord of the skies_

_Mew, the elusive one_

_Celebi, the time traveler_

_Jirachi, the wish granter_

_Deoxys, the one with many forms_

_Cresselia, the crescent moon_

_Darkrai, the new moon_

_Manaphy, the Prince of the Sea_

_Shaymayn, the gratitude Pokemon_

_Heatran, the fire lord_

_Latios and Latias, the eon duo_

_Lugia and Ho-oh, the tower duo_

_Regirock, Regice, Registeel and Rejigigas, the three golems_

_Zapdos, Moltress and Articuno, the legendary birds_

_Entei, Railou and Suicune, the legendary beasts_

_According to legend, these are the members of what is known as the Legendary Council. Together, they govern the world in peace._

I knew this Legendary Council didn't exist. If it did, they would've done something about this war.

I put my book on my bed and looked at the sky. It was getting dark so I headed back to the academy. I arrived just before dinner started and I sat with Berg, Scuttle, Chi and ,surprisingly, Slice.

"Hey Slice, I thought you had a date tonight." I told him.

"I used to." Slice replied grumpily. "Turns out, Blizzy only wanted to date me to make some guy jealous so I dumped her."

"Funny, because it's usually the girl who dumps you Slice." Scuttle said and all of us laughed. Even Chi gave a small chuckle.

"Shade, get over here!" a Hitmonlee instructor called to me. I left my table and went over to him.

"Yeah?" I said approaching him.

"You gotta mission tommorow." he said. I remembered that on Saturdays, missions were given at dinner.

"What kind of mission is it?" I asked.

"Nothing to big. You just have to guard some harvesters."

"Ok." I said and I walked back to my teammates.

"What's up Shade?" Slice asked me.

"We've got a mission tommorow." I repled and Slice gave a yell of excitement. "Slice, we're just guarding some harvesters."

"Still, at least we've got no training tommorow." Slice said happily.

"Wait, didn't you guys hear about the last batch of haresters that went out?" Berg asked.

"They were killed right?" I said remembering the conversation I hear earlier.

"Yeah, we could be next." Berg said nervously.

"Oh c'mon guys. We'll be fine." I told my team. "We've been through tougher missions before and weve trained really hard."

"Agreed." Chi said in one of her one or two word sentences.

"Chi's right." Slice said standing up. "We've never killed anyone but that doesn't mean we're not strong. So let's do our best tommorow."

"Yeah!" we all cried before the horn sounded for bed time.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

We all woke up at the same time the next morning. Slice was the most excited one and he kept on bugging us until Chi threatened him wordlessly with a High Jump Kick. This shut him up until after breakfast.

After eating, we went over to a different gate than the one that led to the rest of the city. The layout of the area's like this: first our nation the Crimson Fang, then a forest, then a grassland, then a river, then more grasslands, then another forest, and finally Amber Fang.

At the gate, we saw that there was only one other team on a mission today besides us. We also saw the harvesters, three Ambipom carrying baskets.

"Hey, are you the team that's going to guard us?" one of the Ambipom said to me.

"Yeah. I'm Shade and these are Slice, Berg, Scuttle and Chi." I said in reply.

"Pleased to meet you." the Ambipom said. "I'm Dex and these are Amy and Palmer."

The gates opened and we entered the forest. There were berry trees here in the city but it was also good to get some berries here in the forest.

We walked with the harvesters through the forest. All of us kept looking around just in case we were attacked. Eventually, we reached a clearing and the harvesters stopped.

"Here's a good spot." Dex said and he, Amy and Palmer began picking berries from trees and bushes. While they picked, I spoke to my team.

"OK everyone, here's the plan:" I began. "Berg, you fly up and look from there. Scuttle, you stay with the harvesters and keep an eye on them. Slice, Chi and I'll split up and patrol the area. Understand?"

"Yes sir." everyone said at the same time."

"C'mon guys; don't call me sir. It makes me feel old." I said annoyed a bit. "Berg, send out your signal if anything comes up."

With that, Berg took to the skies while Scuttle went to the harvesters and Slice, Chi and I patroled the forest. I patroled for about an hour until I saw Berg's signal, a small tornado made with his Ominous Wind, and I met up with the rest of my team.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"It's nothing serious." Dex answered. "We just have to move to another patch of berries."

Together, we went over to another patch after an hour of walking. This time, I sent Slice to keep an eye on Dex and the rest. Berg, Scuttle, Chi and I patrolled again. After another hour, Berg sent his signal again into the sky. I met up with everyone else again and asked what was happening now.

"There's one more berry patch we have to go to but it's on top of a rocky hill. Is that OK with you guys." said Dex.

"Nah, it's alright." I said.

After another hour of walking, we saw the hill Dex was talking about. He was right-it was pretty rocky but we were able to reach the top where a patch of berry bushes was. As Dex, Amy and Palmer began picking, I talked to my teammates again.

"Guys, I'll keep an eye on the harvesters this time." I told them. They left and I sat down on a stone near the harvesters.

"Hey Shade, catch." Dex said throwing an Oran at me.

"Is this for me?" I asked catching it.

"Yup. Consider it as thanks for keeping an eye on us. Oh, and here's some for your friends." Dex said pulling out a small bag filled with berries.

"Thanks." I said with a smile but then, I saw Berg's signal and he went to me. Chi, Slice and Scuttle hadn't arrived yet.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"It's those clouds. They look weird to me." Berg said pointing at the sky where there were several small clouds getting closer to us. It was strange-all of those clouds seemed to look alike.

"Berg, I don't think those're clouds." I said slowly. As the clouds got closer I saw something-aglint of blue.

Suddenly, the clouds around the blue portion parted revealing an Altaria. It looked like it was carrying something round. Then, one of them dropped it and it glew and exploded.

"Altaria and they're carrying Electrodes!" I yelled out. "Berg, get the harvesters to safety." Berg nodded and left with the harvesters.

I jumped off the hill and ran through the forest looking for my teammates. More explosions occurred meaning that the main bombing was happening. I looked at the sky and saw an Ice Beam fired at the Altaria. As they swerved to dodge it, I went in that direction and saw Scuttle on the ground and Slice and Chi on top of some trees.

"Glad you could join the party!" Slice yelled at me from on top of the tree. As Chi fired Hidden Power at the Altaria, I climbed up a tree and shot a Hyper Beam which missed.

A Shadow Ball came in and almost hit one of the Altaria. We looked and saw Berg fly into view.

"Where're Dex and the others?" I yelled to him.

"Don't worry; they're OK!" Berg replied.

"Hey Berg, gimme a boost!" Scuttle cried out. Berg went over to him and picked him up. Berg flew up to the sky and Scuttle could fired Pin Missile.

"Everyone on the count of three!" I told my teammates and they stopped.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

I fired Hyper Beam, Slice shot Ice Beam, Chi launched Hidden Power, Scuttle attacked with Pin Missle and Berg unleashed Shadow Ball. Our combined attacks were able to hit several Altaria, injuring them and causing all of them to leave. We cheered loudly when they left.

"And don't come back!" Slice yelled happily jumping off the tree. All of us regrouped on the ground and Berg told me where the harvesters were staying. They were shaken up but unharmed.

Seeing that it was safe, we decided to head back to the academy. When we reached the gates, they opened and we entered.

"Thanks for today." Dex said before he, Amy and Palmer left.

"Mission accomplished!" Slice said stretching his arms. "And the best part is that we're just in time for lun-"

"Hey guys, what's that?" Scuttle said pointing at something in the forest. We looked and gasped at what we saw.

I recognized him as a Golem from the other team that went on a mission today. His face was in pain as he limped towards the gate. He was clutching a bleeding shoulder and his entire body was covered in blood. Then, all of a sudden, he collapsed.

"Slice, get a doctor quick!" I said and Slice ran off. The rest of us approached Golem and helped him up.

"Are you alright?" I said to the Golem.

"We...were attacked..." he said weakly. "My whole team...all dead...the enemy team...also dead...I think...we were...a distraction..."

But then, he coughed up blood. I said to him: "Stop talking and save your strength!"

Just then, slice arrived with a Clefable doctor carrying a stretcher. The doctor took one look at the Golem before putting him on the stretcher and left with him. All of us were left alone.

"They were just a distraction." I said to my team. "While his team was fighting, the Altaria got past them and bombed us."

We stood there in silence until the horn signaling lunch sounded. We went in and ate lunch. When we finished eating we went to the infirmary since we didn't have any training to do.

We arrived at the infirmary which was a large room filled with beds with sick or injured Pokemon on them. I approached a Murkrow working at a desk.

"Excuse me. Did a Golem come in here a while ago?" I asked.

"Yes. one came in just before lunch started." the Murkrow replied.

Just then, the same Clefable doctor came in and greeted us." Oh, it's you guys."

"Yeah. Hey, how's that Golem?" Slice asked.

The doctor's face suddenly turned grim. "I'm sorry...I did all i could but...he just lost too much blood..."

We just stood there in shocked silence. Slowly, we left the infirmary in silence.

Death's aren't announced publicly in the academy. The Crimson Council ,who also runs the academy, just give the body to the dead Pokemon's family. It was up to them if they wanted to have a funeral. The council just didn't care.

Why would they care if we're just their tools?


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The initial shock of what had happened wore off when we were called to dinner. We still ate in silence and went to bed the same way.

Slice woke me up (again) the next morning. I got up and went with him to breakfast with Berg, Chi and Scuttle.

"Shade, get over here!" the Hitmonlee instructor called out.

"Do we have another mission?" Slice asked.

"Only one way to find out." I said before going to the instructor.

"Alright, you've got another mission today." He said to me.

"Is it the same as yesterday?" I asked.

"No it's different. Our scouts have reported that a group of Amber Fang Pokemon is headed this way. We need you guys to take care of them."

"Fine. Where're they?"

"By now they're probably almost at the entrance of the forest here."

I nodded and went back to the rest of our team. "Guess what, we're fighting an Amber Fang team today."

"Great, more action today than yesterday." Slice said happily. We finished our breakfast and the Exploud horn sounded. All of us went to the gate while the other teams began training.

When we arrived at the gate, we noticed that we were the only team on a mission today. Slice said: "Looks like we're on our own guys."

"Yeah. C'mon, let's go." I said.

We entered the forest and kept going forward. All of us were tense because the enemy could strike at any moment.

"Berg, keep checking the skies. If we get raided by more Altaria, I want to know right away." I said.

"Sure thing Shade." Berg replied.

We continued advancing while Berg patrolled the skies. Suddenly, Scuttle fired Pin Missile at something in the bushes. We readied ourselves but there was nothing came from behind those bushes.

"What was that for Scuttle?" I thought there was an enemy." I said a little bit annoyed.

Scuttle went over to the bushes and pulled them apart. He let out a gasp and I said: "What's wrong Scuttle?"

"I fired 10 Pin Missiles." Scuttle said. He turned to us with a determined look on his face. "I searched and found only 6 of them."

"Wait that means-" I exclaim and all of us look around. "Those 4 missiles hit something."

"Shoot. We could be surrounded." Slice said. All of us tensed ourselves and waited because any moment, an attack would come out.

I was right. Suddenly a blue burst of energy came from the bushes. All of us had to scatter to avoid it.

"That was a Future Sight!" I yelled out recognizing the attack. "They probably have a Psychic type! Scuttle, be careful!"

"Don't worry, I will!" Scuttle called back. He dodged another Future Sight and fired Pin Missile at where the attack came from. He didn't hit anything.

"I forgot; Future Sight's an attack in the future!" Scuttle cried out. "You can set it and run away and it'll still hit!"

"That's right so fire your attacks when-" But I had to stop as Flamethrower went past me.

"They've got Fire types too?" Slice said annoyed. He fired an Ice Beam at the surroundings but he didn't hit anything either.

A Thunderbolt came right passed me while Berg ducked as a Flamethrower went over him. Then, I noticed something: Chi wasn't moving at all.

"Chi, what're you doing, dodge!" I yelled at her. Another Future Sight came from behind me and headed for Chi. Instead of dodging, Chi just stood her ground and the attack went right past her.

"Don't you see?" Chi said. "These attacks aren't meant to hit us! Just stand still!"

"Chi, are you insane? We'll get killed if we do that!" Slice said to her but she glared at him and we all stood still waiting for an attack to come.

A Future Sight, Flamethrower and Thunderbolt headed towards us. Slice, Berg, Scuttle and I screamed but we didn't move from our places. But the attacks went right past us without hitting us, much to our surprise.

"I get it." I said to Chi. "These attacks were meant to distract and confuse us not really harm us! Good thinking Chi!"

Chi nodded but we weren't in the clear yet. One question remained: what were they distracting us from?

A Thunderbolt came from the sides and scored a direct hit on Slice. He yelled as he was hit and slammed against a tree. He yelled out: "Man, that stings!"

"Slice, are you OK?" I said as I ran over to my best friend.

"I'm alright. They probably decided to hit us already." he replied. He got up and opened his mouth to speak but-

"Shade!" Berg cried out all of a sudden while pointing at the sky. All of us looked and gasped.

Altaria. More than thirty Altaria were in the air and they were all carrying Electrodes. One of them dropped on and it exploded, sending a lot of dust into the air.

All of us fired at the Altaria and Electrode. Even though our attacks hit several of them and knocked them out, there were still more of them.

"OK, change of plans, retreat!" I yell out to everyone but an Electrode exploded in the near us. All of us were knocked off our feet.

I got up and saw that I was surrounded by smoke. Lots of trees had already been knocked down by the explosions. I couldn't find Slice or anyone else so I opened my mouth to call out to them but another explosion knocked me off my feet.

As I lay on the grass, I heard more explosions. I got up and called out: "Slice! Can you hear me?"

There wasn't any response so I called again. "Slice! Berg! Chi! Scuttle! Where are you guys?"

"Shade!" I heard Slice's voice from nearby. I went through the smoke and heard more explosions until I saw Slice through the smoke. I ran towards him but an Electrode exploded between us and I was knocked off my feet again.

I got up and called out to Slice again but there wasn't a reply. I began to panic and ran around the smoke looking for someone, anyone. Then, through the smoke and the sound of more explosions, I heard a voice.

"S-someone! P-Please help!"

It was a female voice that I had never heard. Its owner sounded like she was in pain. Then, I considered finding the voice's owner and helping her but then I remembered my teammates.

Another explosion knocked me off my feet and I heard the voice again. I made my decision and started to run around looking for whoever was crying for help. Eventually, I found a clearing and in it was the owner of the voice.

It was an Espeon and she was lying on her side. I examined her and saw a bruise on her hind right leg; she couldn't possibly walk fast in this state. I suddenly realized that she was a Psychic type- an enemy, probably the one who set up those Future Sights.

Her eyes, which were purple and white, met mine. She looked at me in fear because she knew that I was an enemy and probably wanted to kill her. We looked at each other for several moments until I noticed something above her.

That Altaria probably didn't notice her because it dropped an Electrode right on top of her. I saw it fall getting closer and closer to her. Without thinking, I ran to her and scooped her up. She was lying across my back.

"W-what're you-" she stammered but I ran away just before the Electrode exploded where she was.

I started to run with her. Another explosion knocked us down. I felt weak but I ran back to her and scooped her up again. I started to run again while dodging more Electrodes. Eventually, I found a cave in the distance. I put on one last burst of speed and reached it.

"Get down!" I say to the Espeon while I let her down. Both of us lay down as more and more explosions occurred.

I thought an Electrode hit the top of the cave because an explosion caused rocks from the ceiling fell. I heard her scream and, almost instinctively, I lay across her and protected her. The rocks hit my back but I didn't budge and just closed my eyes.

When it was over I realized that it was dark. I lay down on my side panting exhausted from what happened. I looked at the cave entrance and saw that it was completely blocked by rocks. I lit up the rings on my body and the cave was filled with light.

I pointed my light at the Espeon and asked: "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah." she replied. I walked up to the cave entrance and examined it.

"I don't think we should blast this open." I said while walking back to the Espeon. "I think we should go through this cave and check if there's an opening at the end."

She just looked at me so I asked her: "What's wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing." she said. I thought I saw a blush on her face.

"Can you walk?" I asked. She got up and walked a bit.

"Yeah, It hurts a bit but I can handle it."

"Good let's get going." I said as I lit up the cave before us. I went forward a bit and then turned and faced her.

"Oh I forgot, I'm Shade by the way." I said.

"I…I'm Shine." she replied.

"Shine…well Shine, let's go." I said and she walked with me into the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Shine accompanied me as we traveled through the cave. She didn't talk much and needed to rest every few minutes because her leg still hurt. Luckily, my rings provided enough light so we nothing could sneak up on us.

After several hours, we saw a light up ahead. Sensing an opening, we sped up and reached an exit. The entrance was surrounded by trees and bushes. Judging by the sun, I guessed that it was the middle of the afternoon and I doubt Shine had any lunch. Shine walked a bit more but then her leg hurt again.

"Shine, you just stay here. I'll go get some food." I said to her and she nodded. I ran off and searched the bushes for berries. I found several and placed them on a big leaf I found lying on the ground.

I went back to Shine who was till lying down and put the berries in front of her. I grabbed an Oran Berry and took a bite out of it. I saw Shine and she just looking at me.

"C'mon Shine, eat up. You need your strength back." I told her.

"O-OK." she said and she began to eat. We finished twenty minutes later.

"How's your leg Shine?" I asked.

She moved it around. "It's kinda better actually."

"That's good but I think we should wait till tomorrow before you could go out again."

Shine looked at me confused. "Why did you save me?"

"What do you mean why? You were going to get killed." I replied.

"But…we're enemies." she said sadly.

"So? I couldn't just leave you there to die. Killing's just not my thing."

She looked at the ground blushingly and said: "Thank you."

She went over to the cave wall and sat against it. I followed her and sat on her left so I was closer to the entrance.

"So was it you who set up those Future Sights?" I asked.

"Uh…yeah." Shine replied.

"That was a pretty good technique. You must be a really good fighter."

"But I hate fighting." she said sadly.

"You do?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah. I hate this war too. I never wanted to be a part of it in the first place."

"I think the same way. I'm glad to know that there're Pokemon in Amber Fang that want this war to end too."

"That's good to hear." Shine smiled a bit.

"So, why're you fighting?"

Shine sighed. "My dad forced me to join. One time, he shamed the entire Amber Fang army and instead of fixing it himself, he made me do it."

"Oh, I'm sorry." I said. We were silent again for a long time.

"But one good thing came out of joining the war." said Shine. "I got to meet my friends."

"I know what you mean. If it hadn't been for the war, I probably never would've met my friends."

"You guys seem really close. I noticed when we were attacking you a while ago."

She gasped suddenly and I asked: "What's wrong?"

"It's just…I really shouldn't be talking to you Shade. I'd get punished for not killing a Crimson Fang Pokemon if one was right in front of me."

"I've been told the same thing." I replied. "But don't worry; I don't think anyone will know what's happening now."

This seemed to cheer her up a bit. "Shade, if this war never happened, do you think we could've been friends?"

"What do you mean?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "Aren't we friends now?"

Shine blushed at my question and didn't speak again. I looked at the cave entrance and saw that it was getting dark.

"Wait here Shine, I'll get dinner." I said before going to the forest again. After several minutes, I came back with another big leaf filed with berries.

I put the leaf in the middle of the entrance and Shine walked over to it. We ate in silence and after that, we sat again against the cave wall. We looked up and saw a full moon in the night sky.

"Shade…I want this war to end." Shine said after a few minutes.

"So do I Shine." I replied.

"This is all the Amber Council's fault. They only want the war to continue so they could have all the plates."

"The Crimson Council thinks the same thing."

"At this rate, the war'll never end." Shine said hopelessly. "As long as they continue fighting, more and more Pokemon are going to die."

"I know, I just saw a Golem die yesterday." I remember sadly.

Shine looked at the moon again and said: "It's stupid; Pokemon are fighting just because of the plates."

I looked at the moon again. I agreed with Shine but didn't say it. Then, all of a sudden, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

_Do you know what's worth fighting for__When it's not worth dying for?  
Does it take your breath away  
And you feel yourself suffocating?_

She sung slowly and I made sure I caught every word. The sound of her voice seemed to soothe my heart. I closed my eyes and listened again.

_Does the pain weigh out the pride  
__And you look for a place to hide?__  
Did someone break your heart inside?  
You're in ruins_

_One, 21 guns  
__Lay down your arms__  
Give up the fight  
__One, 21 guns  
Throw up your arms into the sky,_

_You and I_

Even when she stopped singing, her voice seemed to linger in the air. I opened my eyes and looked at Shine.

"Wow Shine…That was amazing." I said to her.

"Thank you Shade." she said blushingly.

I gave a yawn and said told her that it was time to go to sleep. She agreed and we went over to the entrance and lay down and slept.

I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. It was really cold and I tried not to shiver.

"What's wrong Shade? Are you cold?" Shine asked waking up.

"Yeah." I said laughing a little. "I usually have a blanket when I sleep. Are you cold Shine?"

"Yeah." she said and then she lay down right next to me. Her warm body pressed against mine.

"Sh-Shine…" I said blushing a little but she was already fast asleep. I sure felt warmer so I was able to fall asleep too.

I woke up and saw that Shine was still asleep. Now that I got a good look at her, she looked really cute while sleeping…

What am I thinking? I shook my head to try and get rid of the blush that had appeared on my face. Then, Shine woke up and yawned.

"Good morning Shade." she said to me.

"Hey Shine, I'll go get breakfast." I said to her. I left and came back with another leaf filled with berries. I set it down and we began to eat. Then, while we were eating, we heard something.

"Shine! Shine!"

Both of us stopped eating and looked around. The voice was far away and it seemed to get closer.

"That's Rosy." Shine said. "She's my teammate and she's probably looking for me."

The calling got closer and closer. I got up and said: "It'll be bad if she sees us together."

"Wait, are you leaving?" Shine asked getting up.

"I have to; it's so that neither of us can get in trouble."

Shine remained silent.

"Well…I guess…this is goodbye…Shine." I said. I turned and began to walk away.

"Sh-Shade, wait!" Shine called to me. I turned around and faced her.

Then, she ran up and kissed me.

I was surprised at first but then I returned it. My heart raced as I felt her lips on mine. I had never felt this way before. After several moments, we parted; both of us were blushing.

"Thank you Shade." she said to me.

I didn't know what to say. Slowly I turned and ran away but I peered behind a rock so that I won't be seen.

"Shine!" a Roserade came from behind Shine.

"Rosy!" Shine said turning around and the Roserade hugged her.

"Are you OK Shine?" Rosy asked. "We were so worried when we couldn't find you."

"It's Ok Rosy, I'm fine." Shine said happily.

Rosy saw the leaf with berries on it. "You were able to pick some berries here?"

"Uh…yeah. I spent the night here." Shine said.

"Well, it's good that you're OK. C'mon, let's go home." Rosy turned to leave. Shine turned back and took one last look where I was before leaving.

* * *

The song above is a portion of 21 Guns by Green Day


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

I ran as fast as I could. I had to get away so that Rosy wouldn't see me and probably kill me. I past through trees and bushes heading towards where I thought the academy gate was.

Eventually, I saw the gate that led to the academy. I ran to it but then I heard a whooshing sound. Two Honchkrows landed in front of me and crossed their wings menacingly.

"Halt, state your purpose." one of them said.

"My name's Shade and I was on a mission. I got separated from the rest of my team and I came back." I replied.

They eyed me suspiciously. One of the Honchkrows whispered something in his companion's ear. He nodded and flew off leaving me alone with the other Honchkrow.

"So what time is it exactly?" I asked him.

He eyed me suspiciously again. "First period training's almost over. So if you were delaying your time in arriving here to avoid it…"

"N-No, that's not it." I said panicking a little. Just then, the second Honchkrow rejoined us.

"Well, he's telling the truth." he began. "His team was supposed to go on a search mission today but for some reason, it wasn't allowed."

"I see. Well, get in kid." the first Honchkrow said opening the gate. I stepped through it and entered the academy.

Just then, the Exploud horn signaling the end of first period sounded. Knowing my team, I went over to the table where we ate.

"SHADE!" Slice yelled out. He ran over and gave me a hug. Berg and Scuttle were next and Chi just patted my shoulder.

"Dude what happened? We thought you were killed!" Slice exclaimed.

"We asked if we could search for you but we weren't allowed" Scuttle said.

"It's alright guys. I'm perfectly fine." I told them. They smiled and sat down for breakfast.

"So what exactly happened guys?" I asked.

"Well, after we got separated," Slice explained. "I found Berg, Chi and Scuttle and we found a place to hide."

"After that, we looked everywhere for you. It was already dark so we decided to go home already." Scuttle finished.

"Oh OK." I said.

"So what happened to you?" Slice asked.

"Well, after the bombing, I found a cave and hid there. The entrance got blocked so I went to the other side of the cave and found another entrance so I stayed there overnight."

I chose my words carefully. I had to make sure it sounded like I was alone.

"Well, it's good you survived." Slice said ruffling my head. Just then, the horn sounded and Slice and Scuttle left for second period. Meanwhile, Berg, Chi and I went back to our room.

As Chi meditated and Berg slept, I lay down on my bed. I began to think about one Pokemon-Shine.

I remembered that last thing she did to me. She kissed me and…I returned it. Did that mean she loves me? My heart raced at that thought and I was sure I blushed. I remembered the feeling of her lips on mine and my heart raced faster. Was…Was I in love with her?

Then it hit me. Even if I did love her, it would be forbidden. Both of us would be killed the second we didn't kill each other. It was the biggest rule in our nation, killing any Amber Fang you see.

The horn sounded and I woke Berg up. Chi then accompanied us on the way to dinner. Even while we ate, Shine was still on my mind. This caused me to stare blankly in front of me. Slice noticed this and when he asked me what was wrong, I said nothing.

After dinner, Shine was still on my mind. I kept asking myself: Do I love her or not? I just didn't know the answer leaving me very confused.

Still as confused as ever, I decided to go to sleep.

I had a very disturbing dream. I was standing in the middle of a great wasteland. The remains of several dead Pokemon were around me. Some of them were still alive covered with blood and begging for help. I just stood there with my mouth open in shock.

"H…help…" a voice said and I recognized it. I looked around and saw before me a sight that nearly made my heart stop.

Shine was lying there in a pool of her own blood. More blood came out of severe wounds on all four of her knees. I knew that she was in severe pain.

Suddenly she looked right at me. Her eyes widened in fear and she moved her legs as if she was trying to get away.

"Shine, what's wrong? It's me, Shade." I told her but her face didn't change.

Suddenly, I found myself walking involuntarily to her.

"W-what's going on? Why's my body moving when I'm not controlling it?" I thought.

The clouds in the sky parted and there, they seemed to be a part of the sky itself, was the Crimson Council. All of their hands had what looked like thin strings and the strings were connected to my body.

I tried to resist but my body just got closer and closer to Shine. Eventually, I was right in front of her face and she looked even more afraid.

My mouth suddenly opened by itself. Energy began to gather as a Hyper Beam was readied. With fear in my face and heart, I looked at the Crimson Council above me.

"STOP! STOP! PLEASE STOP!" I yelled to them but all of them just smiled. The energy in my mouth reached its limit. I looked right at Shine's face. Then, the energy released itself and I unintentionally fired a point blank, full power Hyper Beam at Shine's face.

"SHINE!"

My eyes jerk open as I woke up from the nightmare. Sweat covered my body as I panted heavily. The image of Shine's face in fear was vivid in my eyes.

"Whoa Shade, are you OK?" Slice asked me. I seemed to have woken up everyone else.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just a dream." I replied calming down a bit.

"You sure?" Slice asked again.

"Yeah I'm sure. C'mon guys, get some sleep" I told my teammates. They agreed and went back to sleep.

As I lay down, I thought about my nightmare. Aside from me trying to kill Shine, what really got me was the appearance of the Crimson Council in the sky. It was then that I realized that besides the desire for the plates and their wanting for this war they had one thing that they had in common. It's connected to one thing that Shine and I have in common.

We're both just their tools for the war.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

When I woke up the next morning, I realized why Slice was denied permission to search for me. It's probably because the Crimson Council thought I was already dead so they didn't bother search for me.

That was typical for them. When they realized I was missing, they probably thought to themselves: "So what if he's dead? We could just replace him." After all, all of us are just their tools.

I arrive at the breakfast table and began to eat. The, I heard an annoying and familiar voice.

"Hey Shady." I turned around and saw Dart.

"What d'you want?" I asked him.

"Well to be honest, I'm actually surprised you didn't die." Dart began crossing his arms with a smug look on his face. "I'm amazed at how a weakling like you was able to survive." He gave a chuckle. I turned back to my meal.

"Hey, I'm not done with you." said Dart. I gritted my teeth and faced Dart again.

"What is it now?" I said.

"Well I just want you to know that we're doing a mission together."

"WHAT!" The rest of my team looked at Dart with shock.

"I wouldn't team up with you if you we're the last team in the world!" Slice said pointing a finger at Dart.

"Well too bad. It's what the council wants and what the council wants the council gets. So shape up Team 0 Kill, I wouldn't want you to bring my team down."

With that, he laughed evilly and walked away. I turned to the rest of my team.

"OK guys," I began. "I know this looks bad..."

"Bad? If the mission doesn't kill us, Dart's team might do it instead!" Scuttle complained waving his pincers around.

"I know and I wouldn't be surprised if they did." I admitted. "But it's just another mission and hopefully, the only mission we'll have with Dart's team."

"Shade's right but if they do try to kill us, let's just run away really fast." Slice said and all of us laughed. Then, the horn sounded and we went over to the gate where Dart's team was.

Dart's the leader of his team and they're all big meanies like him. His teammates were: Ente, a Yanmega; Peter, a Nosepass; Jewel, a Sableye and Cendou, a Spiritomb.

"Hey boss, its Team 0 Kill." Peter said pointing at us.

"Well well well, you guys're late. I expected that from you guys." Dart said. Slice opened his mouth to say something back but I tell him not to.

"So what's the mission?" I asked Dart.

"Well, if you must know, a fresh supply of Water Stones has appeared at the river." Dart began. "The council thinks that a team of Amber Fang Pokemon is being sent to pick them up so…"

"We intercept them." I finished.

"Good to see that you're not as dumb as we thought." Dart said rudely. The gates opened and the ten of us began walking towards the river.

I faced Dart and asked: "So why do we have to accompany you guys in this mission?"

Dart turned his head towards me. "Well, the council wanted it because they were getting sick of you guys not killing anyone so they teamed you guys with us so that you'll kill someone."

"Well that's just great." I muttered to my team as Dart turned away.

"What do we do Shade?" Berg asked.

"I still don't know." I replied.

Still unsure of what to do, we finally left the forest and entered the grasslands. When we got close to the river, Dart spoke to us.

"OK everyone get down." All of us crouched down and slowly got closer and closer to the river. Then, we saw five Pokemon crouching at the river picking up Water Stones and tossing them into a nearby basket. I couldn't identify those Pokemon from my position.

"OK here's the plan:" I whispered. "First someone has to grab that basket and-"

But then, Dart stood up and fired a Draco Meteor at the Pokemon. It didn't hit them but it hit the water and exploded sending a lot of smoke into the air.

"What did you do that for?" I said angrily. The rest of my team did the same. "You just gave away our position!"

"I know but it pays to make a good entrance." Dart said looking at the dust cloud. We could hear voices from it.

"Is everyone OK?" someone from within the cloud asked. They gave a collective reply of yes.

"Levi, blow this cloud away!" another voice from the cloud said. I recognized that voice-it belongs to Rosy.

But if that's the case, then…?

The dust cloud was blown away by a Baltoy. Just as I suspected, standing next to the Baltoy was Rosy along with a Monferno, Marowak and an Espeon.

Shine…

Both of us made eye contact and our eyes widened. Luckily, neither of our teams noticed this. Dart was busy talking to Rosy.

"Well well well, so you guys are our victims today." Dart said evilly.

Rosy gritted her teeth. "Everyone, get ready!" she said and her team assumed battle stances; Shine did hesitantly.

Dart turned to me. "So Shady, since this'll be your first kill, I'll let you pick your target."

I looked at him surprised. I did the same at my team but they didn't say anything. I stepped forward and scanned them.

"I pick the Espeon." I said pointing a paw at her. Shine looked at me shocked while Rosy raised one of her arms to try and shield her.

"Good choice." Dart said to me. "Now, LET THE SHOW BEGIN!"

He unleashed a vicious Sandstorm that covered the entire area. I had a hard time seeing but I heard Dart yell: "CHARGE!" and I ran forward.

As I ran through the sandstorm, I heard the sounds of Pokemon shouting and attacking. I couldn't tell whose voice it was but I kept on running and then, I found Shine.

"Shine!" I yelled running to her.

"Shade…" she said and approached me. Both of us then blushed at the sight of each other.

"Relax, I'm not going to kill you." I told her.

Then, I heard a crashing sound behind me an both of us turned around. Dart had appeared dodging a Poison Sting from Rosy. Rosy tried to punch him but Dart punched her back.

"Hey, she's right in front of you! Waste her already!" Dart yelled at me. Rosy charged at him again and they fought again. This gave me time to talk to Shine.

"What do we do?" Shine asked me.

"We'll fight but we have to make it look convincing." I told her.

"OK…" Shine said before pausing. "I'm glad I got to see you again Shade."

Both of us blushed but then, Dart came into view again so I knew it was time to act. I used Faint Attack to appear behind Shine. She dodged my attack and used Double Team to make several copies of herself.

I knew what I had to do. I looked at all the Shines to find out which was the real one but before I could find it out, I had to dodge a Signal Beam from one of the copies. Then, all of them fired Signal Beams and I had a hard time dodging.

"Who whoa, easy Shine." I said softly so that Dart wouldn't hear me. "Those nearly hit me."

"Well, you said I should make it look convincing." Shine replied. I smirked a little and fired a Hyper Beam at one of the copies and destroyed it.

But then, Dart's Sandstorm ended and I got a view of the surroundings. My team, Dart's team and Shine's team were all still alive but they were all wounded and tired. Shine turned off her Double Team.

"Hey boss, these guys are tough!" Peter yelled to Dart. "We out number them but we haven't killed any!"

"I know!" Dart said clutching a bleeding elbow. "Hey Shady, that Espeon's right in front of you, get her!"

All three teams looked at Shine and me. I had to do something so I used Faint Attack to reappear behind Shine.

"I'm sorry about this Shine." I whispered to her before hitting her lightly. She felt to the ground but I knew she wasn't seriously hurt.

"Shine!" Rosy yelled at her. Dart and his team meanwhile were cheering.

"That's it Shady! Now, kill her already!" Dart yelled excitedly at me.

I just stood there for a few moments. I looked from the excited faces of Dart's team, to the surprised faces of my team, to the fearful faces of Shine's team, and then to Shine. She was looking at me in a way that she knew I would do the right thing.

Slowly, I walked over to her. I whispered to her: "Listen, just play along." and then spoke to Rosy.

"Listen all of you! Do what I say or I'll kill her!" I said threateningly. I put a paw of her head to make them think I wanted to do it but in reality, I wouldn't.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dart yelled angrily at me.

"What do you want us to do?" Rosy yelled at me.

I paused a bit. "Leave right now and don't bring the Water Stones."

"What about Shine?" Rosy asked.

"If you leave, then we'll just take her as a prisoner." Rosy growled angrily. "Don't get this the wrong way." I continued. "She'll be our prisoner but I promise I won't kill her."

Rosy looked at me angrily. She looked at Shine and said: "Don't worry Shine; we'll get you back even if it kills us."

Rosy turned to the rest of her team and they ran away. I waited until they were out of sight before I turned to Slice.

"Get the Water Stones." I told him. He went over to the basket filled with the stones and brought them to me. I spoke to Shine.

"Your name's Shine right?" I asked and she nodded. "We're going to take you as our prisoner. If you resist or try to escape, you'll be killed…

..by Dart's team" I finished my sentence in my head. Shine nodded and I told Slice to bind her feet with ice and he did it. I breathed a sigh of relief because the first bad part was over.

The next bad part was in the form of Dart.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

I told Slice to carry Shine as we went home. My only problem now was Dart.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dart yelled at me.

"What do you mean? I said that we're taking her as our prisoner." I said back.

"Well then, why bother carrying around excess weight! Just kill her and we could go home!"

"Listen to me Dart, our mission wasn't to kill them but to stop them from getting the Water Stones." I was starting to get angry. "We were successful so we can go home now."

"Don't' worry about it boss." Jewel said to Dart. "If Shady here won't kill her then I-"

"You lay one finger on her and I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!" I yelled furiously. "I made a promise to her team that I'd keep her alive and I intend to keep that promise!"

"You're keeping a promise to the enemy? How stupid can you get!" Dart yelled.

I didn't reply. I turned to the rest of my team and signaled them to start walking home. Dart team followed us afterwards. Dart was fuming as we reached the forest. I looked over to Shine and saw that she was awake. I gave her a wink and she winked me back.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!" Dart screamed. He went over to Slice. "Give her to me."

"What? No way dude, Shade told me to-"

But Slice was cut off when Dart smacked him away.

"Slice!" I yelled at him. Berg, Chi and Scuttle checked on him while Dart went over to Shine.

"Y'know, since Shady won't kill you, I guess I will." Dart said to Shine's fearful face. I saw him use Dragon Claw to knock her into a tree. That made me VERY angry.

Dart, not finished yet with Shine, charged at her using Dragon Rush. Before he could hit her, he got blasted by a Hyper Beam fired by me. Dart was sent flying until he hit a tree and slid to the ground unconscious. Still angry at the fact that Dart threatened Shine, I turned to the rest of his team.

"If any of you guys want to kill her, then you'll get the same thing as Dart!" I said angrily at them. They cowered and nodded. I faced Slice and told him to take Shine back and I told Cendou to carry the unconscious Dart. Within minutes, we were on our way home.

Eventually, we reached the academy gates. When they opened, the two Honchkrow guards I met before saw us.

"Well, what do we have here?" one of them asked.

"We were sent on a mission to stop an Amber Fang team from getting these Water Stones." I began and I showed the basket. "We also have a prisoner with us." I showed them Shine.

"What happened to him?" the other one asked pointing at Dart.

"When we fought the Amber Fang team, he took a bad hit." I explained. "He's alive but just unconscious."

"Oh well. We'll take the prisoner while you bring him to the infirmary." one of the Honchkrow said. Both of them grabbed Shine with their talons and flew off. Shine and I looked at each other as she slowly got further and further away.

I turned to Dart's team. "Don't tell anyone what really happened or else…" I said threateningly. They all nodded and ran off.

"Whoa, are you OK Shade?" Slice asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied even though I wasn't. "So what time is it?"

"I think lunch's over." Berg said peering into the empty dinning hall.

"Aw man, but I'm hungry. Who's up for lunch?" Slice asked.

"I am!" Berg and Scuttle said at the same time.

"How 'bout you Shade?" Slice asked me.

"Nah, it's OK. I'm not hungry. I'll just go to our room." I told Slice.

"Alright, how 'bout you Chi? You're probably hungry too." Slice asked.

"No, she can go on one berry a day." Scuttle said and Chi nodded.

"Oh well, see you guys later!" Slice said leaving with Berg and Scuttle. Chi and I went to our room.

When we arrived, Chi immediately went to her bed and began meditating. Meanwhile, I went over to my bed and lay down. My head was full of thoughts.

What'll they do with Shine? Sure, they'll take her to prison but what if they kill her? Killing prisoners only happens once in a while to show the nation that the council means business. They might kill her…No, don't think that. Maybe I could visit her but then, it would be weird and-

"Shade, may I speak with you?" My trail of thoughts was interrupted by Chi who was standing near my bed.

"Huh? O-Ok." I got up and faced her. This was the first time she had asked me to talk to her.

Chi paused a bit before sitting down on my bed in front of me. "Do you know why I joined the war even though I'm against it?"

"Your parents are fighters, right?" I answered remembering the time I asked her.

Chi nodded. "Not just my parents, but every single one of my ancestors was a fighter even before the war started. Though we were fierce fighters, we took pride in never taking a life."

Chi paused a bit. "That desire not to kill has also passed on to me. So when I first met you Shade and learned that you also think the same, I knew that I would become strong under your leadership."

"Wow Chi. I don't know what to say." I said shyly.

Chi paused again. "For me to become strong you must also become a good leader yet, I sense that something is wrong. Is there something troubling you Shade?"

I remained silent. I couldn't tell her about Shine or we'd both get in serious trouble. But then-

"It's her isn't it?" Chi asked.

"Who?" I asked hoping she hadn't figured it out.

"That Espeon Shine, you're concerned about her."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You can fool Slice, Berg, Scuttle and Dart's team but not me." Chi said. "Tell me Shade all you know about her."

I knew that it was useless pretending so I told her everything. How I saved Shine from the bombing and stayed with her in a cave. I also mention that we talked in our previous mission to make sure that she didn't get hurt.

"I see…" Chi said.

"She kissed me." I added. I remembered the feeling of her lips again and it made my heart race.

"Really?"

"Yeah and she's got an amazing singing voice."

"So I take it that she's in love with you?" Chi asked.

"I-I guess." I answered.

"And how do you feel about her?"

Chi's question startled me. "I…I uh…"

"Then let me change my question." Chi said. "Do you care for her?"

"I…I do. I want to help her." I finally said.

"Then do something."

I looked at Chi surprised. She smiled and said: "Relax, I won't tell anyone."

The horn signaling the start of dinner sounded. Chi got up and left leaving me alone the room. I thought about Shine and pictured her alone in a dark cell.

But that was going to change.

My dad's words rang through my head again.

"Remember Shade, if you end up fighting, then fight for what's really important to you."

I knew what's important to me:

Shine.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"Night everyone." Slice said after we lay down after dinner. I replied to him and then, they all slept. I didn't sleep...no...I couldn't because I was filled with excitement and determination of what I was about to do.

I lay wide awake for several hours until I thought that it was late enough. Then, I slowly got up from my bed and crept towards the door. I swung it open and prepared to leave but-

"Shade? Where're you going?" Scuttle said waking up. I turned to him immediately.

"What is going on?" Chi said also waking up.

"I'm uh...I'm just going to the bathroom." I said hoping that this would be good enough.

"Well...OK." Scuttle said before going back to sleep. Chi looked at me and mouthed: "Good Luck." before she went back to sleep.

I opened the door and stepped outside. It was dark but I was able to move around easily. The only thing I had to look out for is the Ghost types that patrol the area at night. If I get caught, I'd be in big trouble.

I went from the hallway to the empty and dark dinning room. I went over to the door at the other end but I had to duck under a table as two Haunter came through the wall. This's why they use Ghost Types to patrol, because they can go through walls.

I waited tensely for ten minutes until they left. I sighed and went through the door and entered the gate leading to the city. I met another problem: a Duskull was guarding it so I had to hide behind a wall. I got an idea to get pass him but it was very risky-I didn't even know if I could do it.

I gave a small cry and the Duskull heard it. He looked around for a while before he realized that it came from where I was. He began to walk to where I was while I waited for the right moment because if I messed up here, then that's it.

The Duskull got close enough and looked but he didn't see me at all. The reason was because just before he appeared, I used Faint Attack to reappear behind him and luckily, he didn't notice it. As he looked around scratching his head in confusion, I bolted towards the open gate and went through it. I hid in a bush until I though that everything was clear.

After about twenty minutes, I crept out of the bush and thought about my next step. The prison building was pretty far from the academy. I'd have to walk for several minutes to get there while avoiding the guards that patrol at night.

I walked through several streets; it took me almost half an hour to be halfway to the prison. As I rounded a corner, I had to hide as Jewel showed up along with a Gastly. She was probably patrolling the city too.

"Find anything?" Jewel asked the Gastly.

"Nope. Nothing." the Gastly answered.

"Well keep looking! If I find someone who sneaked out, I'll beat him to a bloody pulp!" Jewel punched her palm as she spoke.

"You seem angry tonight."

"I'm VERY angry." Jewel said. "I got really pissed at what happened at our mission a while ago and Dart's still unconscious. If I find that Shade tonight, I'll kill him!"

Perfect; Jewel's got a grudge against me and I must've hit Dart harder than I thought. I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of team had a grudge too. As Jewel and the Gastly walked away, I crept out of my hiding spot and resumed my journey to the prison.

Eventually, the prison, a large building with high cemented walls topped with barbed wire, was before me. Housed here were prisoners of war and some local criminals. Two fierce looking Abomasnow were at the entrance.

I considered using my Faint Attack trick again but I didn't think it would work this time. I searched around and saw a tall tree along the right wall of the prison. I went over to it and discovered that it was tall enough from me to climb and jump into the prison. I climbed the tree and stood on a branch that was pointing at the prison. I took a deep breath and jumped.

I had to stop myself from screaming because as I sailed over the wall, my left hind foot got scratched by the barbed wire. I gritted my teeth and landed on the other side of the wall. I looked around and saw that no guards saw me. Then, I slowly went through the front door.

The prison was very large and had many floors. I didn't know where Shine was so I had to check all of the floors which were all pretty big. I saw a Scizor guard sleeping at a desk. Near him were a set of keys for every cell in the prison. I grabbed them and began my search for Shine.

I searched the first floor first. All of the prisoners were sleeping but some of them had bruises and cuts as if they were beaten up everyday. That idea sickened me and what's worse is that every week, one random prisoner will be killed personally by the Crimson Council just to show who's boss.

It took me a long time to search the first floor. I found clock and it said that it was ten minutes to one. I found the stairs and climbed to the second floor. I didn't find Shine there; not even in the third floor.

I started to panic a little. As I approached the stairs to the fourth floor, I heard it.

_The stars lean down to kiss you_  
_And I lie awake and miss you_  
_Pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere_

I froze. I knew that voice, that beautiful voice. I listened again for it.

_'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly_  
_But I'll miss your arms around me_  
_I'd send a postcard to you, dear_  
_'Cause I wish you were here_

I ran up the stairs to the fourth floor. I noticed that some of the prisoners weren't sleeping but listening to the song.

_I'll watch the night turn light-blue_  
_But it's not the same without you_  
_Because it takes two to whisper quietly_

_The silence isn't so bad_  
_'Til I look at my hands and feel sad_  
_'Cause the spaces between my fingers_  
_Are right where yours fit perfectly_

The voice was distant but it was definitely coming from this floor. I followed the voice while listening to it at the same time.

_I'll find repose in new ways_  
_Though I haven't slept in two days_  
_'Cause cold nostalgia_  
_Chills me to the bone_

_And I'll forget the world that I knew  
But I swear I won't forget you  
Oh, if my voice could reach  
Back through the past  
I'd whisper in your ear_

I reached a corridor; the song seemed to come from a cell at the end of the row. I ran towards it.

_Oh darling, I wish you were here_

"Shine!" I whispered loudly into the cell. There, looking completely unharmed, was Shine. She was looking at me with a surprised look on her face.

"Shade?" Shine whispered while walking towards the door. "How did you find me?"

"I just followed your voice." Shine blushed a bit. "Anyway, I'm here to get you out of here."

"Wh-why?" Shine asked.

"Because...because..." I said slowly and then:

"Because I love you Shine."

"Shade..."she whispered as I went to the lock. I tried several keys until one unlocked the door. I opened it slowly and then Shine ran up and kissed me. I closed my eyes and loved every moment of it. I knew that I'd never want to let her go.

We parted and I said: "Now we just have to get out of here."

As we walked back to the stairs, I froze. The cell next to Shine contained a Combusken and he was looking at us with a surprised look on his face. Shine and I stared back but then he smiled and turned away. After thanking him, we went back to the stairs.

Luckily, the other prisoners were already asleep so they didn't notice Shine and I run through. We reached the front door and I returned the keys to the sleeping Scizor. We went through the doors and went over to the spot I landed when I jumped. I thought about how to get over and then Shine used Psychic to lift both of us over the gate. We landed on the branch and we climbed down.

"So what now Shade?" Shine asked.

"It's too dangerous for us to sneak to the gate to the forest now." I answered. "For now, I'll take you to my house. No one would ever look there so it's a good place for you to stay until I can find a day you can sneak out of the nation."

Shine agreed and we were off to my house. Together, we avoided guards until we arrived at my house. I opened the door ans let Shine in.

"You'll be OK here." I said to her. "There's enough food here to last you until Saturday; that's when I'll visit you. Just close the curtains and keep quiet until then. Got that?"

"Yeah." Shine replied.

"Good, see you on Saturday."

"I'll be waiting." Shine kissed my cheek before she closed the door. Still hoping that she'll be alright, I went back to the academy.

* * *

The song above was a portion of Vanilla Twilight by Owl City


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"Whoa Shade, are you alright?" Slice asked me when I woke up. I went over to the mirror and saw that there were bags under my eyes. I was still a bit sleepy.

"I"m alright." I said to my best friend.

"What happened to your leg?" Slice pointed at the partially healed wound I got when it got scratched on the barbed wire.

"Oh, I uh...tripped when I went to the bathroom last night."

Slice shook his head. "Man, you can be so clumsy sometimes y'know?" He gave a friendly punch to my shoulder before we left for breakfast.

Berg, Chi and Scuttle also noticed the bags under my eyes. I told them what I said to Slice and they went back to breakfast except for Chi. She looked at me a bit longer before going back to her food.

"Attention all teams! There's an announcement!" Hitmonlee instructor shouted and everyone in the room froze and faced him.

"First of all, starting today until Sunday, there will be no missions!"

Almost everyone in the room groaned. They wanted to get away from training and do something else. The instructor waved them down for silence before continuing.

"If you're wondering why, it's because the Crimson Council is planning something big this coming Sunday. And when I said big, I mean big so they want you guys to go through more training until then."

"There's one more announcement!" the instructor yelled out. "We have discovered last night that one prisoner has escaped from prison."

"Shine..." I whispered as the Pokemon around me began to talk.

"The prisoner has been identified as a female Espeon by the name of Shine. I ask that anyone with any information to her whereabouts to come forward at once."

He left and the whole room went back to talking. Some about what was going to happen on Sunday while other spoke about Shine.

"Shine...isn't she that Espeon we captured?" Berg asked me.

"Yeah, I guess so." I replied.

"I wonder where she could be." Chi said glancing at me for half a second.

"Why? D'you wanna find her Chi?" Slice asked and Chi shook her head.

The horn sounded and we went outside to begin training. I didn't really pay attention to it. Nor did I pay attention to the afternoon training. I was just thinking about Shine, hoping that she'll stay safe at my house. Even when I was alone in our room with Berg and Chi, I thought of her.

Saturday came after a few days. I got up before Slice could wake me but we still went to breakfast together. After eating, the five of us went to the gate that led to the city. It opened and we were let out.

I said bye to my teammates before I set of to my house. While walking, I decided to pass by Dahlia's shop.

"Hello Shade. How are you?" Dahlia said when I entered her shop.

"I'm fine Dahlia. I'm just going to buy some flowers." I said to her.

"Oh, OK." Dahlia turned to get some roses.

"Um Dahlia...I'm looking for something different today." I said before she got the roses.

"Hmm? What are you looking for then?"

"Do you have any...Gracidea flowers?" I asked.

"Gracidea? That's a strange flower to give to your parents."

"They're not for my parents...They're for...someone else."

Dahlia smiled at me. She went to the back of her shop and came back with a bouquet of Gracidea flowers. She gave them to me and I was off.

In a matter of minutes, I was at the street where my house was. I reached the front door and, still holding the flowers, opened it and went inside. I closed the door and spoke into the house.

"Shine. Shine, are you there? It's me Shade."

I heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Then, Shine appeared in front of me. I breathed a sigh of relief seeing her OK before she hugged me.

"Shade..." she said and I hugged her back.

"I've got something for you." I step back and I showed her the flowers. Her eyes widened as she took them and gave them a sniff.

"Thanks Shade. You're really sweet." I smiled and we went to the living room.

"So how're you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm alright. Nobody saw me so everything's good." she replied.

I looked around and everything seemed cleaner. "Have you been cleaning?"

"Yeah. This place was pretty dusty so I decided to clean it up."

"Yeah, I've never actually cleaned up before." I admitted.

"I've s also read some of your books."

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a bookworm."

"Well, besides reading and cleaning, I've done nothing else."

I suddenly felt guilty. It was my fault that she had to be locked up here. "I'm sorry I kept you in here the whole time."

"It's alright Shade." Shine smiled at me. "It's best that I have to be hidden or we'll both be in big trouble."

"I know. They're already searching for you." I told her. "I think...tonight's when I sneak you out of the nation."

Shine's eyes widened in shock. "How'll we do that?"

I opened my mouth to answer but then my stomach grumbled in hunger. "Can we eat first? I think better on a full stomach."

Shine giggled before we went to the kitchen and got two plates. We filled them with berries and went to my room to eat. We sat down on my bed and had a nice lunch, just the two of us.

After eating, I put both of our plates on a desk nearby. Shine asked: "So what's the plan?"

I took a deep breath. "Tonight at midnight, I'll sneak out of the academy again and come back here. I'll pick you up and we'll sneak past the guards an head to the gate. You'll be able to get to the forest and on your way home. Got that?"

Shine nodded but then, she looked sad. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's just..." she said sadly. "Since I'm going back...doesn't that mean we'll never see each other again?"

Shine's question made a loud THUMP in my heart. She was right; after she leaves, I doubt we'll ever see each other again. Yet, both of us knew that she couldn't stay forever. The thought of her leaving me forever was more painful than anything else.

I looked at Shine,whom I love with all my heart, and saw a tear from her eye. I went over and brushed it away with my paw. She looked at me and I looked at her.

"...Shade..."

"...Shine..."

I put my arms around her and kissed her. We closed our eyes and Shine put her arms around me. After several moments of kissing, I lay down on my side. Shine did the same and she buried her head in my chest. I put my arms around in a protective way and, though it was still daytime, we slept.

When we woke up, I saw that it was sunset. We got I told Shine that it was time for me to leave. She kissed me goodbye before I went back to the academy.

I couldn't concentrate on anything else when I arrived. Not on the food nor on my teammates talking to me. But luckily, only Chi noticed that I wasn't concentrating right.

Like the night I snick Shine out, I couldn't sleep. This time, it wasn't excitement nor determination that kept me up but sadness. I'll never see her again. Maybe we could both end up on a mission together but then, we'd have to act like enemies. I'm going to miss her so much. I'll miss her smile, her eyes, her beautiful voice...I tired not to but I let a tear fall from my eye. I can never be with her because of this war.

THE WAR! I had to bite my lip to avoid screaming. It's all because of this war. I can't be with the one I love because of this stupid war. Another tear came from my eye but this time, its sadness was mixed with rage.

After what seemed like an eternity, I felt that it was midnight. I got up and left the room. I got past the guards the same way I did the first time and in a matter of minutes, I was at my house.

When I opened the door, Shine was there sitting in front me. We didn't say anything to each other;our final good byes will have to wait. Still silent, we left my house and went back to the academy. After sneaking past more guards, we found ourselves at the gate to the forest.

"This is it..." was all I could say. "Shine...take care of yourself alright?"

Shine remained silent. Both of us were holding back tears with much effort. We could cry later, when we were already far apart. Shine looked at me with watery eyes.

"G-good bye Shade..."

"Good bye Shine..."

I had lowered my lips to hers to give her one last good bye kiss before a loud siren sounded through the night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Our eyes jerk open as we saw several Ghost types running after us.

"RUN!" I screamed and Shine took off. Multiple Shadow Balls were fired at her but missed. I couldn't think straight; I fired a Hyper Beam into the crowd even though it wouldn't affect them.

BAM! I flew back as three Shadow Ball struck me. I hit the ground painfully.

"SHADE!" Shine screamed. Through half closed eyes, I saw her run back towards me. I yelled at her to leave me alone but it was too late. A Haunter appeared in front of her and used Hypnosis. I saw her sway back and forth still whispering my name before she fell asleep and several guards surrounded her.

I tried to get up. I tried to save her but I didn't have much strength left. I stretched out my paw to her whispering her name before a Haunter appeared before me and I blacked out.

My eyes jerked open as someone punched my jaw. As I lay there hurt, I remembered what happened. Shine was about to leave when the guards found us. We were attacked and put to sleep.

Shine...I searched around and I found her still asleep but tied with rope and surrounded by Ghost types. I opened my mouth to call to her but my jaw was punched again.

"Well, well, well, look what I caught?" I froze at those words. I looked up and saw Jewel grinning evilly surrounded by guards. "It's little Shady." she delivered another punch to my jaw.

"This's for Dart!" She punched me again. "And this's for that mission!" Another punch from her. "And this...this's just cause I hate you!" After her last punch, I tasted blood in my mouth.

"Alright, leave him alone Jewel." I heard someone say. "Let's just tie him up and take him to the council. They'll decide on what to do with him."

"What about the prisoner?" someone else asked.

"Take her along as well. That way, she'll also feel the council's wrath."

I was picked up by a Dusclops and drapped over his shoulder. I saw another Dusclops walk over to Shine and tried shaking her awake. Shine didn't wake up and Jewel decided to take matters in her own hands. She went over to Shine and smashed her fist painfully on her forehead.

I opened my mouth to scream angrily but a Haunter slapped his hand over my mouth. Shine woke up after Jewel punched her but she continued to hit her several times. I screamed louder and louder with each passing blow.

For the first time, I felt like killing...

"Alright, I think that's enough." Jewel said dusting her hands. "Take them to the council. If you need me, my shift's over and I'm going to bed." She walked a bit before stopping. "Oh, and tell me when they're gonna execute Shade. I wanna make sure our team gets front row seats." She laughed evilly before leaving. Another Dusclops picked Shine up and they began carrying us.

Suddenly, a Haunter near the gate was knocked back by what looked like a blade of energy. After he hit the ground, the guards dropped me and Shine and went over to the gate. After several tense moments, a Gallade stepped out from the forest.

"W-who are you?" I asked.

"You mean you haven't heard of him?" Jewel asked me. "I'll enlighten you. His name's Slash and I hear he's wanted in both Crimson and Amber Fang. He lives in the forest and he's wanted for infiltrating both nations to get their plans and use them to stop the war. At first, we thought he broke the Espeon out until we found you." She faced Slash. "So what're you doing here?"

"I heard a commotion and came here at once." Slash answered. "I arrived and knew what was going on at once." He faced me. "I am glad that you, a Crimson Fang Pokemon, were risking your life to save an Amber Fang. I wish that all Pokemon were as willing as you. Now, I will save you."

"Oh no you don't, get him!" Jewel yelled. Several guards charged at him and he readied himself. I tried to break free to help him out but Shine and I were picked up by two Dusclops guards. Jewel ordered them to take us to the council while they deal with Slash. The last I saw of Slash was him trying to get to us before being tackled by a Banette before we were carried off.

I looked around and saw that other Pokemon from the academy had woken up. They were looking at us curiously while whispering to each other. Luckily, we didn't pass by my team. I couldn't bear the look on their faces.

We were taken past several flights of stairs going up. I knew that we were going to the upper floors of the academy where I haven't been yet. We were taken to a room that had a long table in it.

Shine and I were flung to the ground and the Dusclops guards remained. I got my first look at Shine since we were put to sleep. her face was covered in bruises from being punched by Jewel. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah." Shine replied.

"This's my fault. If only I-" but I couldn't finish because the Crimson Council entered the room. They formed a semicircle around me and Shine and examined us.

"Explain." the Dusknoir said to one of the Dusclops.

"My lord, the Espeon you see before you is the one that escaped several days ago." he answered. "The Umbreon is her accomplice. He helped her to escape."

The council surveyed me for a few seconds. "Is this true?" the Muk asked me. I remained silent.

"ANSWER ME!" I was knocked back by a Sludge Bomb from the Muk.

"Shade!" Shine called out to me. I tried to respond but I was picked up by the Rampardos. He then used Head Smash to knock me back to the center of the room while Shine continued to call for me.

"I can see from your refusal to answer that it is true." the Dragonite said. "Do you know the punishment for your actions?"

I refused to answer because I knew what it was.

"Well then, let's show you." the Machamp said snapping his fingers. One of the Dusclops guards left the room and he was gone for several minutes.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

The Dusclops came back carrying a Loppuny. Judging by her struggling and the ropes around her wrists and ankles, she was a prisoner. The Dusclops holding flung her to the ground in front of me and Shine.

The Machamp walked over and picked her up by the head. He looked at her but I knew he was talking to me.

"Let me show you what we do with traitors." He suddenly pulled her up and put her in a headlock. The Loppuny screamed and screamed for help that wouldn't come. Shine and I closed our eyes, trying to block out her screams of pain but then-

CRACK!

The crack almost made me heart stop. I opened my eyes and saw that the Loppuny was no longer struggling in the Machamp's arms. He just dropped her and then kicked her corpse aside.

"So you're going to kill us now?" I asked fearing the answer.

"Now? No but we will eventually." the Mightyena said. "We are far too busy dealing what will happen tomorrow to deal with you two."

"Tomorrow?" I remembered with a jolt what was announced a few days ago. "What're you guys planning tomorrow?" I demanded.

My question caused all of them to talk amongst themselves. After several moments, the Ursaring said: "I suppose we could tell you since you won't be able to witness it yourself. What we're planing is..."

He walked towards me with an evil smile on his face. He got close and bent down. I stared into his cold, merciless eyes and he continued:

"...the complete destruction of Amber Fang."

* * *

I want to thank pokeflare for the idea of Slash. Don't worry, he'll be back.

Also, my school's starting so I'm down to one chapter a week. The next chapter will be Friday next week so pls bear with me.

Thank you.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

"D-destroy Amber Fang?" I asked.

"Correct. After tomorrow, the nation know as Amber Fang will cease to exist." the Ursaring said.

"But how? No Crimson Fang Pokemon has ever set foot in Amber Fang unless they're a prisoner." Shine told them.

"You're very observant girl. It's best that we show you just what will happen to your nation and everyone in it." the Dragonite said. He and the other members of the council went over to the desk.

"Do you know why this whole war started in the first place?" the Glalie asked me.

"Well," I remembered my book. "It's all because Arceus gave the Council of 17 the plates."

"Correct and here are the plates in question."

All of them stood up. Everyone one of them. except for the Ursaring, was holding a rectangular slab that varied in color. I'd never saw them before but I bet that these were the plates.

"As you may have heard, the plates give a tremendous boost in the wielder's power." the Kriketune explained holding up his plate. "We believe that it is time that we used that power and completely destroy Amber Fang and take the remaining plates."

"But what makes you think that nine of you will be able to win?" My question made them all laugh in an amused way.

"Don't make us laugh. It won't just be us, every other team in the whole nation will join us." the Rampardos said laughing.

"No..." Shine said horrified. I was just to shocked to say anything.

"Not only will we invite the teams, but also," the Machamp said evilly. "Every single Pokemon,adult or child, to fight for us and lead us to victory."

That just made me furious. Wanting to raze Amber Fang to the ground was one thing but involving the innocent civilians who wanted nothing to do with the war was a completely different thing. As Shine stared in shock, I kicked and struggled to break free and attack them, to stop their plan.

"You're sick! You're vile! You're evil! You're...!" But I ran out of insults to fire at them.

"Talk all you want but there is no way you could stop our plans." the Muk said. "Take them away!"

The two Dusclops guards nodded and picked us up. After bowing to the council, they left the room undoubtedly to take us to the prison.

We passed by the lower floors of the academy again. This time, there weren't any Pokemon to see us. They were probably ordered to go back to bed. Considering what will happen tomorrow, they'll need all the rest they could get.

We passed through the gates that led to the city. I didn't see any signs of Slash or what happened to him. I wanted to know id he was OK. I haven't actually thanked him for trying to help us. Eventually, we reached the prison.

The two Abomasnow guards were still there. They stepped aside to the Dusclops guards in. One of the Dusclops went to the Scizor guard, woke him up and asked for a key. He was given one and we were off again.

They had selected a cell on the top floor of the prison for us. They also chose one at the end of the corridor, away from the stairs. They threw Shine and I into the cell before severing the ropes around us with Psychic. They slammed the door leaving us in the room.

I didn't see the cells properly when I broke Shine out because it was so dark. Now that I was in one, I could tell that this was a very depressing place to live in. There wasn't a bed just a black room with a hole in the corner where we're supposed to go to the bathroom.

I began to pace around the room, thinking of a way out of here. I was about to fire a Hyper Beam at the bars but Shine stopped me.

"Don't even bother. The bars are attack proof. I know, I've tried blasting them open myself and it didn't go well." Shine told me.

"Well we've got to do something!" I banged my head on the bars. "They're going to destroy Amber Fang! We've got to stop them!"

"What? What do you mean destroy Amber Fang!" the Pokemon around the cell we were staying heard me. I then remembered that this entire building was filled with Amber Fang prisoners.

"The Crimson Council are planning to use the power of the plates tomorrow!" I yelled so that I could tell as many prisoners as possible. "They're going to lead a massive army and raze Amber Fang to the ground!"

There was a loud cry. All of the prisoners gave shouts and tried breaking down the bars. This caused a Rhydon guard to fire Stone Edge into some of the cells. This quieted things down and, after a few more cells were fired in to, everyone was quiet.

Shine put her paw on my shoulder. "C'mon Shade, lets just go to sleep. Tomorrow, we'll think of a plan."

I knew she was right. I nodded and went over to the center of the room where we slept with our arms around each other.

We both woke up to a low rumbling sound. We felt the floor and it seemed to be vibrating.

"What's going on? Is it an earthquake?" Shine asked.

"No. It sounds like...like hundreds of Pokemon are rushing out of the nation." I said to Shine. The rumbling stopped after a few minutes.

"They're going to destroy Amber Fang." Shine began to tear up. "We have to stop them!"

"Don't worry Shine." I gave her a comforting hug. "I promise you, we'll try to stop them."

...

...

...

"Aw isn't that sweet." My eyes widened at that voice. I looked at the bars and saw Slice and Chi smiling at us.

"I mean, I've been trying to get a girlfriend for as long as I could remember but you make it look so easy Shade!" Slice said with a laugh.

"Slice...Chi...what're you two doing here?" I asked.

"Uh, what else?" Slice said.

"We're here to break you guys out." Chi said and began trying different keys.

"How'd you guys get here?" I asked.

"We sneaked out during the march." Slice explained and Chi found the right key. The door swung open and Shine and I were free.

"Um, yeah...about her..." I said to Slice indicating Shine.

"Don't worry about it. Chi told us everything." Slice said.

"Us? Wait, where're Berg and Scuttle?" I asked.

"We met some guards on the way here and they're holding them off." Slice explained.

"We better go help them." I said and we began to walk.

"Hey, what about us?" one of the prisoners asked me.

"We can't let you guys out." I said to as many prisoners as possible. "If you guys get out, you'll get killed before you could make it home. It's best that you stay here where it's safe."

Some of them agreed while others still begged to be freed. The four of us ran down the stairs and found Berg and Scuttle fighting off a several guards.

"Shade! You're alright!" Berg said sending a Shadow Ball at the guards.

I just nodded and the four of us joined in. In a matter of minutes, every guard was lying unconscious in front of us.

"C'mon let's go." i said and all of us were running down the stairs with me at the head.

"Whoa back up everyone!" I yelled and everyone stopped. We were just about to leave the building and enter the area between the building and the walls.

"What's wrong?" Shine asked. I looked around the corner and saw about fifty guards staying at the gate.

"Guards, about fifty of them. I don't think we can handle all of them." I said.

"They're not even attacking?" Scuttle asked.

"It's probably because we have to come out eventually." I began to think. "Any ideas?"

We all were silent in thought until Chi spoke up.

"I'll do it." she said. "I'll fight them and clear a path for the rest of you to escape through."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"No way Chi, you might get killed out there!" Slice exclaimed.

"Maybe, but this is the ultimate test to prove that I have become strong." Chi stepped forward and got ready.

"Wait Chi, I'm going with you!" Slice said going up to her.

Chi raised her eyebrows. "Why? There's a chance you will die too."

"I don't care!" Slice exclaimed. "I just can't leave you there Chi!"

Chi looked at him in an amused way for several seconds. Then, without warning, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss.

Despite the fact that there were about fifty Pokemon sent out to kill us before us, I couldn't help but gawk wide eyed with my jaw hanging at the sight before me. Berg and Scuttle did the same and Shine had a confused look on her face.

Chi pulled away and stared into Slice's surprised and blushing face. "You are brave but you are also an idiot Slice. You can also be a bit annoying at times but despite all that, I've always been in love with you." She took a few steps forward. "So are you coming with me or not?"

"Wha...oh yeah. Right, I'm on my way." Slice snapped out of his trance and smiled. Chi smiled in turn and together they began to attack the guards.

The rest of us snapped back to reality and watched Chi and Slice fight the guards. After a while, their numbers thinned and a space appeared between them.

"Now's your chance, GO!" Chi yelled at us. all of ran out of the building and made a beeline for the gate.

"They're getting away!" a guard shouted but I saw Slice silence him with an Ice Punch. We continued on until we reached the gate and entered the city.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"Whoa." was all I could say at what was before us. The city was completely deserted. There wasn't any other Pokemon in sight. "They really did it...they got everyone in the whole nation to fight for them."

"Hey, what're those?" Scuttle said pointing to several lumps on the ground a few feet from us. We ran up to it and saw that it was a dead Butterfree.

"This one probably tried to resist." Shine said. "It's horrible."

"I know Shine. But we're fighting so that something like this will never happen again." I told her and she calmed down.

We ran through the empty city passing by more dead Pokemon. We tried to ignore them as we reached the deserted academy. We went over to the gate that led to the forest and found that it was closed.

"Let's try blasting it open." I said. "On the count of three. One...two..."

"Three!"

We fired out attacks at the same time. All of our attacks converged on a single spot on the gate and exploded. When the dust cleared, the gate was still standing.

"We didn't even dent it." Shine said.

"Alright, let's try again." I said and we readied ourselves. "One...two..."

BANG!

Before we could attack, there was a loud sound. It seemed to come from the other side of the gate. The sounds came more frequently and I identified it as a Close Combat attack. After a while, a single punch was delivered and the gates burst open. All of us got a look at who did the punching-a Gallade.

"Slash!" I yelled running up to him.

"Good to see that you are alright." Slash said to me and Shine. "I would have come sooner but I had to recover from the battle last night."

"That's alright. Thanks again for that." I said.

"Um Shade, who's this?" Berg asked. He and Scuttle were puzzled.

"I'll explain later." I said and all of us began to run through the forest.

"So what's going on Slash?" I asked as we ran.

"The situation has become worse." he said grimly.

"How much worse?" asked Shine.

"You know the plan of the Crimson Council?"

"Yeah."

"The Amber Council had the same idea."

Before any of us could react to the shocking news, we were forced to stop at the edge of the forest. There were hundreds of Pokemon before us and none of them seemed to notice us.

"How do we get through?" I asked. Slash decided on a direct approach.

"Everyone, get back!" he screamed at the Pokemon in front of us and they faced us. Slash put his hands together and charged up a Hyper Beam. Those who heard him backed off creating a pathway before us. We all ran through it.

Whispers were heard as we passed by. I caught a glimpse of Dahlia as we passed. She looked at me surprised at the group that accompanied me but I didn't have time to talk. As we ran I saw other Pokemon-children and the elderly who would surely be killed if a fight was brought out. Our target was before us- a group of Pokemon standing before the rest of the Crimson Fang.

"Crimson Council!" I screamed. They turned and glared at me.

"But how?" the Mightyena exclaimed.

"I've got friends." I said proudly. "Now what're you up too?"

"As you can see, we are asking the Amber Council for a surrender but they would not agree." the Rampardos replied.

I looked before him and gasped at what I saw. It was like a mirror image-there were hundreds of Amber Fang Pokemon and in front of them was the Amber Council-a Sceptile, Alakazam, Magmortar, Staraptor, Blastoise, Hippowdon, Electrivire, Aggron and Slaking.

"It seems that negotiation is out of the question." the Sceptile said.

"Agreed. It appears that only brute force is the answer." the Muk replied. Then, every single one of the plates was brought out. Before any of us could react, every single one of them fired an attack.

The attacks converged at the center creating a massive explosion. Screams went through the air as a dust cloud was formed. When it cleared, both councils were still standing but they looked exhausted.

"CHARGE!"

Without warning, both councils charged towards each other along with Pokemon from their respective sides. I just stood there in shock as there was immediately blood shed. Slash, Berg and Scuttle were in combat as I stood there.

"Shade!" Shine screamed fearfully. I turned and saw her dodging slashes from a Crimson Fang Shiftry. She ducked as the Shiftry slashed at her and I was able to knock it away with a Hyper Beam.

"Thanks for- look out!" Shine screamed and I jumped just before a Poison Sting came my way. I landed and looked for who fired it. The, I saw Shine's team.

"Rosy! Levi! Blaze! Terra!" Shine yelled at her teammates.

"Shine, get down!" Terra the Marowak said before he used Bonemerang on me which I had to duck.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" Shine said standing in front of me.

"But he's the one who captured you!" Rosy said.

"Yeah but he broke me out!" Shine said. "And...and I love him."

Shine's team looked surprised at this bit of news. "Is this true?" Rosy asked me.

"Yeah." I said.

"Well...I believe you." Rosy said.

"Now that that's taken care of, what's the plan Shade?" Shine asked me.

But I had a hard time thinking of a good plan. All around me, more and more Pokemon were getting killed. Most died during battle while others,including children, were begging for mercy before they were struck down. It was all so horrifying; there was only one plan I could think of.

"Slash! Berg! Scuttle!" I called. They appeared tired with a few injuries. "We have to find the two councils." was all I could think of.

"Let's go." Shine said and we began and the nine of us began running through the thicket of battle.

Eventually, we found them. Both councils were still fighting with rage in their eyes. They formed a space in the middle of all the other fights. Every now and then, an attack would be dodged and hit someone in the crowd.

"Stop!" I shouted with all my might. They did and looked at us. "That's enough, just stop the fighting!"

All of them continued to glare at us angrily. Then all of a sudden, they attacked us. All the other fighters stopped to watch the battle we were in. They formed a massive ring with us at the center.

We immediately had to scatter to avoid a Hydro Cannon fired by the Blastoise. Berg, Scuttle, Slash, Shine and her team became locked in battle. My opponents were the Kricketune from Crimson Fang and the Slaking from Amber Fang. At least these guys can work out their differences and work together.

I used Faint attack and reappeared behind the Slaking but he jumped before I could hit him. He used Focus Punch and I jumped back but the Kricketune slashed me from behind.

"Shade!" I heard Shine scream. She ran towards me but then had to dodge a Leaf Blade from the Amber Fang Sceptile. My two opponents grinned and me and the Slaking readied another Focus Punch but as he charged, he was knocked back by a blast of white energy. I turned and saw who attacked him.

"Slice! Chi!" I yelled to them. They were slightly hurt but still alive and well. "You're OK!"

"Of course! What made you think over fifty guards could stop us?" Slice said proudly.

The next moment, the Kricketune got hit by Slice's Night Slash and the Slaking Chi's Hi Jump Kick. They were knocked back and the three of us regrouped. Before we could attack again, Chi suddenly vanished from sight.

Panicking, Slice and I looked up and saw that the Staraptor from Amber Fang had picked Chi up with his talons. As she struggled, she was brought up higher and higher until she was thrown to the ground several feet from us.

"Chi!" Slice yelled as she fell. He ran after her and used Ice Beam on the ground and created a large ramp. Slice positioned himself at the base as Chi slid down it. She neared the end and was flung up a few feet until Slice caught her and held her bridal style.

"My hero." Chi said with a smile.

"You so owe me a date when this's over." Slice said smirking.

"Fair enough."

"Heads up!" I yelled at them as the Staraptor flew in again for another attack. Slice put Chi down and fired an Ice Beam and the frozen Staraptor hit the ground in front of them. Chi then used High Jump Kick and sent the Staraptor towards the Kricketune and slaking who recovered. The ice shattered and they were knocked down.

"Alright, let's go help the oth-" but I couldn't finish. The three of us were suddenly picked by what I thought was a Psychic attack. I looked around and saw Shine, her team, Slash and the rest of my team also floating. As we were placed at the enter of the circle, I caught a glimpse of the Alakazam who was responsible for what was happening to us.

"All of you are beginning to get on our nerves." the Alakazam spoke. "It is about time we end you all for good."

All of us struggled to break free but it was in vain. The two councils formed a ring around us(the Staraptor, Slaking and Kricketune had recovered) and began charging up their plate amplified attacks. We struggled even more and the attacks were now fully charged and ready to destroy us.

"ENOUGH!"

A loud thunderous voice was heard by everyone. The two councils stopped and looked to the sky where the voice seemed to come from. We did the same thing and everyone looked up.

Suddenly, the sky lit up as if a massive explosion took place. As we watched, we then saw several pink meteors fall from the sky. After several seconds of falling, each meteor struck a single member of both councils.

All of us were dropped onto the ground. All around us, the members of the two councils were screaming as they were engulfed in a pillar of light. There was a bright flash and they were gone. The plates hit the ground with a thud.

A long silence followed then, the sky began to thunder. We looked up and saw that the clouds had parted and they descended.

The Legendary Council.

They looked just like what my book described them. At the center of the council was Arceus.

"We have had enough." Arceus said. "The War of the Plates has gone on for too long."

"We have come here to end it once and for all." Deoxys said. "Now that both councils are gone, the war will finally end."

"Wait!" I shouted. "Why did you only wait until now to end the war? Why did you have to lets so many Pokemon die first?"

The Legendary council turned to me as did everyone else in the area. Mew said:"We have been waiting for you."

"Me?" I asked startled.

"Yes, we have been waiting for you." Groudon said. "You posses the ability to unite the two nations and lead them in peace and harmony. You are a true leader who would look out and care for those under you."

"So...I'm going to lead everyone?" I asked.

"Not just yet. There is...a test you must pass to prove your worth." Celebi said.

Before I could ask what kind of test it was, Deoxys landed in front of me. Looking at me, he said: "Fight me one on one. Defeat me and you will prove your worth."

He had determination in his eyes. I turned back to the faces of my team and they looked at me reassuringly. All it took for me to make my decision was a smile and a nod from Shine.

"Alright, I'll fight you." I told Deoxys.

"Excellent. Now...EN GARDE!"

He morphed into Attack Forme before charging at me.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

My first move was a Hyper Beam right at Deoxys. He morphed into Defense Forme and crossed his arms to defend against my attack with Iron Defense. He went back into Attack Forme and charged at me again but I used Faint Attack to evade the stab from his tentacle.

"Impressive." Deoxys said and then he morphed into Speed Forme and rammed me with ExtremeSpeed. I recovered and fired Hyper Beam again but Deoxys was able to out run my attack. I fired again and again but he kept on dodging until he ended up in front of me. Before I could hit him, he morphed into Normal Forme and uppercut me.

"Shade!" I heard Shine scream as I hit the ground. I got up and looked at Deoxys.

"Get up. Are you going to give up now?" he asked. me.

"No...I've still got some fight left in me!" I yelled and I fired another Hyper Beam. He morphed into Attack Forme and countered with Zap Cannon. Our two attacks collided and exploded. Using the smoke to my advantage, I fired Swift into it. The dust cleared and I saw Deoxys in Defense Forme blocking the stars I was firing at him.

I remembered that Swift can't be dodged so that's why he's blocking them instead of evading them. I decided to use this to my advantage. I kept up the Swift and slowly went closer and closer to Deoxys who was too busy blocking to notice me. Then, when I got close enough, I used Faint Attack to reappear behind him and hit him.

I knew I had hit him hard with him being a Psychic type and Faint Attack was a Dark type move. He stumbled a bit but he was still able to stand.

"It is not over yet." Deoxys said getting up. He morphed into Speed Forme and ran around me. He continued to run around at speed until he created a small tornado that lifted me into the air. As I struggled helplessly, he floated on top of me, morphed into Normal Forme and punched me to the ground.

The air was knocked out of my lungs when I hit the ground. I heard my friends scream my name again before I opened my eyes and saw Deoxys heading towards me with his elbow pointed at me. Luckily, I jumped out of the way before he hit the ground. I fired another Hyper Beam but he jumped out of the way.

It was then that I just realized something. I thought about how I hit him before and realized that there just might be a way to beat him. I saw him morph into Speed Forme.

"What? You're going to hit me with ExtremeSpeed?" I said tauntingly. "Bring it on!"

"As you wish." Deoxys said before charging at me. I smirked and charged at him in turn-he fell for it.

"Take this!" I yelled as we got closer and closer. "My secret move: Last Resort!"

My body glowed with blue light and a ring of stars circled me. I screamed loudly as we got closer until we finally collided. The stars surrounding me flew away as an explosion occurred. The force of my attack was able to knock Deoxys off his feet and fall to the ground.

Everyone cheered thinking that I had one. I looked up at the Legendary Council and saw Arceus shake his head. I looked back down but it was too late. One of Deoxys tentacles crept towards me and stabbed my front left leg.

I screamed out in pain;I had never felt pain like this before. The tentacle was retracted leaving an inch deep wound which started to bleed. I gritted my teeth in pain causing me to miss the Zap Cannon fired at me. I screamed again as I got electrocuted painfully and when it stopped I realized that I couldn't move.

"I forgot. Zap Cannon paralyzes when hit." I muttered. I saw Deoxys who was in Attack Forme.

"Is that all you can do?"he asked. "If so, then there is no way you can defeat me. I shall end this fight now."

He put tentacles together and began charging up another Zap Cannon. This time, I knew I couldn't survive it. I struggled again but I was still held in place because I was still paralyzed. I realized that this was the end. I'm not strong enough to lead the two nations in peace. I opened my mouth to say one last goodbye to Shine...

Suddenly, Deoxys' eyes widened in shocked and he looked up. I did the same and saw about thirty blasts of white light heading towards Deoxys-Shine's Future sight and by the looks of it, she's been saving them up during our battle.

Deoxys stopped charging Zap Cannon and morphed into Defense Forme. He out Iron Defense up before he was bombarded by the Future Sights. He survived it but he looked exhausted.

"Rosy, take care of Shade." Shine said and she, along with her team, my team and Slash, stepped in. Rosy went over to me and used Aromatherapy and healed my paralysis.

I looked ahead and saw that everyone was in battle. Slash ran up and used Close Combat on Deoxys who was still in Defense Forme. After punching him several times, he was helped by Terra who smacked Deoxys to the side with his club. Deoxys was sent flying towards Slice who knocked him high into the air.

"That's it everyone!" I cried out. "Keep hammering him! Give him everything you've got!"

Deoxys struggled in mid air and saw Berg holding up Blaze the Monferno. Berg dropped Blaze and he used Flame Wheel on the air born Deoxys. The force of the attack slammed Deoxys painfully to the ground.

With a loud cry, Deoxys got up and saw that he was surrounded by Scuttle, Levi the Baltoy and Rosy. They ran around him in a circle while firing Pin Missile, Mud Shot and Poison Sting. Deoxys,after morphing into Attack Forme, tried to stab at them with his tentacles but they missed because his targets were running. He was so busy, he didn't notice Chi run up to him and gave him a solid Hi Jump Kick which knocked him off his feet. Deoxys got up and saw all of us grouped together.

"You!" he yelled pointing at Shine. "We have heard of you. You hate fighting yet why do you fight now? Has the war changed you?"

"No, the war hasn't changed me." Shine said. "I still hate fighting but...if I have to fight to protect the one I care for, then I'll do it gladly."

"It matters not. A one on one match was specified as the test. Because of your interference, the test is now invalid."

"No it's not." I said. I went to a spot ahead of everyone limping slightly because of my wound. "I finally got what you meant. You said a one on one battle..but when we work together," I smirked. "We ARE one."

"FIRE!"

The next moment, two Hyper Beams, an Ice Beam, Pin Missile, Shadow Ball, Hidden Power, Signal Beam, Bonemerang, Mud Shot, Poison Sting and Flamethrower were fired at Deoxys. For some reason, he didn't dodge nor block the attack. He just closed his eyes as he was engulfed in an explosion caused by all of our attacks.

When the dust cleared, a smoking Deoxys stood before us. For several moment, he just stood there before finally falling to his knees.

"I...I yield..." he said. "I...concede defeat..."

"Enough." Arceus said. He sent the Lake Trio to retrieve Deoxys. "You have proven yourself young Shade. You truly are fit to be a leader."

As we gazed at them, They slowly began to rise and renter the clouds. Arceus looked at me one last time and said: "Farewell Shade and good luck."

And with that they were gone. Looked around and saw the faces of the Pokemon I have to lead from now on. I thought they would be skeptical since someone as young as me would lead them but instead, they began smiling and all of a sudden, they broke into an applause while chanting my name in acceptance of me as their leader.

I was filled with happiness. It was then that saw the smiling faces of my team who were also cheering. But the one I was really looking for was Shine. I found her and walked over to her.

"Looks like I have to lead all of them." I told her.

"Yeah I know." she said.

I looked around again. "You think I'm up for it?" I asked her.

"Of course you are. And even if you can't." Shine put her paw on my cheek. "I'll be there for you."

I smile at Shine and give her a kiss. Maybe she's right. Maybe I can be a good leader to everyone. Together, Shine and I looked up at the sky with thought about the future that lay before us. Sure it might be hard but I knew that we could do it...

Together...

* * *

If you think that's the end then you're sadly mistaken. I've got a few chapters left so hang in there ;)


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

"Shaaaade. C'mon dude wake up it's ten already."

"Nggh." I said groggily without opening my eyes.

"Just wake up already Shade."

"Hey Slice, what's going on?"

"Shade. He doesn't wanna get up...again."

"Hmm. Well, I can fix that."

The next moment, soft tender lips were kissing my cheek while a caring voice said: "C'mon Shade, wake up already."

Smiling, I opened my eyes; Shine's beautiful face was smiling at me.

"Morning Shine." I said kissing her cheek. I got up, fixed my bed and went to Slice.

"Y'know, I still don't get why it's hard to wake you up even though you get up much later than before." Slice said to me.

"Sorry. Hard habit to break I guess." I told him and the three of us left the room.

What he said was true. After all, being the leader of the newly reunited Nation of the Twin Fangs meant that I was able to sleep longer than before. It's been a year since the war ended and a lot has changed since then. My new home is now a large building built at grassland between the two nations. Other Pokemon had moved in and built houses there and soon, a large city was born though some Pokemon still live back in the old cities.

I live in my new home with Slice, who was my right hand Pokemon, Shine and the rest of our teams who became our primary guard. Slash, who was fighting to end the war for a long time, finally settled down and lived in peace somewhere in the city.

"Hey Shine, you wake up like...two hour earlier that it takes me to wake Shade up." Slice said. "I mean, you're in the same room. Cant you wake him up?"

"Well I want to but he seems so peaceful when he's sleeping." Shine replied. Slice sighed and we continued walking.

We walked down the halls and ended up in the dinning hall. After eating, the three of us went over to the my main office. After all, being the leader of a nation involved a lot of paperwork.

"So what's on the news today Slice?" I asked.

"Oh y'know nothing much except some rebel activity." Slice replied.

Peace hasn't truly returned to the nation. There were some rebels who supported the Amber and Crimson Councils back then that cause trouble every now and then. I also heard rumor that they're being led by Dart. I had given them all a chance to change and stop fighting but they didn't take it.

"Any casualties?" I asked.

"No, it was just a rally that ended peacefully."

"That's good to hear." Shine said. "At least no one got hurt or anything."

"Yeah but they might plan something big someday." I said to Shine. "We can't let our guard down."

Shine nodded and I went back to my paperwork. "Anyway, is everything ready for tonight?" I asked.

"Yup." Slice replied. "The food, room music and other stuff's ready too. Tonight's celebration's gonna rock!"

Today is the first year anniversary of the end of the war and we planned a big celebration tonight in the lower floors to celebrate. Everyone in the nation was invited and there would be food, music, dancing, etc and, like Slice said, it was going to rock.

I spent the whole morning doing paperwork until it was lunch time. I went with Shine to the dinning room where both our teams were already eating.

"Hey guys." I said and they greeted me back. I sat down next to Shine and we began to eat.

"We were planning to do some final preparations for the celebration tonight after lunch and we'd like your help Shade." Rosy said to me.

"Sure, I'll help out but uh..." I paused a bit. "I'm going to stop by the city for a while."

"Huh? Why?" asked Chi who was sitting next to Slice.

"I uh...have to take care of something...and I'll have to do it alone."

Everyone looked at me puzzled but accepted it. We finished lunch and everyone else went to the ground floor where the celebration will happen while I left the building and entered the city.

As I walked through the city, the citizens greeted me a good day. Some expressed their excitement for the celebration tonight. I greeted them back and continued walking until I reached a house. I knocked on a door and waited. After a few seconds, Slash appeared at the doorway.

"Shade, good to see you." Slash greeted me.

"Nice to see you too." I said and he let me in his house. "Have you got it?" I asked.

"Just a moment." He went further into his house and came back a few minutes later with a leather bag in his hands.

"Here." he said giving it to me. "I still do not see why I should be the one who bought this."

"I told you, I don't want anyone to see me buying this because I'm saving it for the celebration tomorrow." I explained. "You and I are the only ones who no about this today but tonight, the whole nation will hear about it."

Slash nodded and I thanked him before leaving his house. I kept the bag hidden until I got home where I stashed it under my bed. No one noticed me the whole time so I went down to the ground floor where the celebration was being prepared.

It was a large round room with a very high ceiling. All around, Pokemon were either up tables and chairs and other stuff needed for tonight.

"Oh Shade." Shine said when she noticed I came in. "Are you done with what you were planning?"

"Yeah. It was really quick actually." I said before beginning to help out.

With all of us helping, the room was completely finished by six; guests would still be arriving at six thirty. We stayed a bit longer congratulating everyone who helped us before we went to our separate rooms to prepare. I entered mine, took a quick shower and brushed my fur until it was nice and smooth. I finished at seven and ,before I went down to the celebration, took the small box from under my bed.

I arrived at the entrance where Shine was greeting guests. I joined her and greeted guests too. All over the nation, Pokemon were coming to celebrate the first year anniversary of the end of the war. When Slash came in, he gave me a reassuring nod which Shine missed. After the room filled up, we took our seats at the end of the room and I addressed everyone in the room.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming here tonight. I have a few words to say but I'll save them for later. For now, let's eat!"

With that, everyone agreed and began to eat the berries served by waiters. So far everything was going on without any problem and everyone looked very happy.

Dinner ended and I signaled the band to play. The band consisted of several Nuzleaf and Kricketune on a podium. The Kricketune rubbed their arms together and the Nuzleaf played grass flutes creating beautiful music. After listening to it for a few moments, I turned to Shine and offered my paw.

"Want to dance?" I asked.

"I'd love to." Shine said and I led her to the dance floor. We stood on our hind legs (we were quite good at it) and began to slowly waltz around. This was the first time Shine and I danced together and it was quite enjoyable.

After dancing a bit, other Pokemon began to dance in pairs on the dance floor. I looked to the side and saw Slice dancing with Chi, Berg with a female Drifloon, Scuttle with Vibrava, Rosy with a Nuzleaf, Blaze with a Spinda, Levi with a Geodude and Terra with a Charmander. I saw Slash leaning on the wall looking gloomily at us until a Gardevoir asked him to dance. His face broke into a smile and he danced with her.

While Shine and I danced, everything seemed perfect. Dancing around with the one I love, eyes locked and hand in hand with music in the background was like a heaven to me.

After several more moments, the music stopped and everyone applauded the musicians. It was time for me to say my ending speech and to use what Slash had bought for me.

"Once again, I'd like to thank everyone for coming here tonight. This celebration couldn't have been done without you." I said to everyone in the room. Shine and I were at the center of the dance floor.

"It has been a year since the War the the Plates ended and a lot has changed since then. For starters, there's barely any fear in our nation now and of course, me being leader."

"When I was asked by Arceus to be lead I first thought that I couldn't do it. But, with the help of those important to me, I was able to make it this far. I'd like everyone to give them a round of applause. Shine, Slice, Chi, Scuttle, Berg, Rosy, Levi, Blaze and Terra."

Everyone clapped and I resumed.

"Y'know, when I became leader, I was asked a lot of questions. Questions like: what exactly would I do as leader and how would I treat the Pokemon of the nation and other similar questions."

"But now...I think it's time I asked a question."

The entire room was silenced as every eye was turned on me. After several seconds, I braced myself. I got down faced Shine, pulled out the bag and from it, I pulled out a small red box and opened it revealing a diamond ring.

"Shine, will you marry me?"


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Five seconds. That's how long the entire room was quite. I glanced around and saw that everyone was looking from me to Shine and back. And finally, when those five seconds were over-

"Yes. YES OF COURSE I'LL MARRY YOU SHADE!"

Smiling, she put her arms around me and pulled me into a long kiss. The audience around us erupted into applause while Slice wolf whistled. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

But I knew an even happier moment was soon to come.

After the celebration ended and before it was time for us to go to bed, we had a little after party in the dinning room. Everyone was still celebrating our engagement.

"Alright, congrats you two!" Slice said walking over and giving us a friendly rub on the head. "I dunno whether I wanna continue rubbing you head or beat you up for not telling us." he added.

"Yeah thanks Slice. Thanks everyone." I said to them all.

"What I wanna know is: how you got that ring." Scuttle said.

"Yeah Shade. This ring's beautiful." Shine said admiring it on her paw. "Where'd you buy it?"

"Well...I'd like to thank Slash for the ring." I nodded at Slash at the end of the table. "He was the one who bought the ring and he gave it to me just this morning."

"Aha! So that's why you left this morning." Shine said.

"Yup. I didn't want to buy it because word would get out and tonight's surprise would be ruined. Thanks again Slash."

"It was no problem really." Slash replied.

Soon it was time for bed. I said good night to my friends and Shine and I went to our room to sleep.

"Hey Shine, can we go somewhere tomorrow?" I asked as we lay down.

"Huh? Where?"

"Let's just say...somewhere that means a lot to me. We'll go alone and I promise I'll treat you for lunch."

"Sure, I'd love to." she kissed me before both of us were asleep.

The next day...

Shine and I were back in the part of the nation that used to be the Crimson Fang. We walked through several streets passing by the old academy until we came at our destination: my house. It looked very lonely because no one's been living there.

The house was very dusty because I haven't visited for a year. The two of us went over to the garden and stood before me parents graves.

"Hey mom. Hey dad. Sorry I haven't visited for a long time."

I took a deep breath. "Mom, dad, I want you to meet Shine." I waved my head towards her. "I've...asked her to marry me because she means the world to me. I remember that you guys said that you fought to make a future where I can live happily. Now, I'm continuing what you guys said and building a future where not only me but everyone could be happy."

Shine took a few steps forward. "Mr. Obscurum, Mrs. Caliga, I love your son so much. He's a brave, kind, sweet Umbreon and I promise that I'll take care of him for as long as I live. I'm also going to work with him to build the future that he was taking about."

She was carrying a bouquet of flowers and she placed them at the graves. We stood there feeling the wind on our faces staring at the remains of my parents before we left.

Several months later...

"Wow Shade, you look nervous."

"Well of course I'm nervous Slice."

After several months of preparing, it was finally the day of our wedding. It was late into the afternoon and Slice and I were standing at the entrance of the large room we had the celebration in. It was elaborately decorated for a wedding and everyone in the nation also went. In just a few moments, Shine would be walking through those doors.

"Relax Shade, you'll be fine." Slice told me.

"I know I'm just so nervous." I said to him.

"Hey, for all we know Shine could be just as nervous as you."

"Yeah you're probably right. Hey, y'think-"

But at that moment, an Exploud horn sounded and Slice bade me good luck before going to his seat. Every guest seated turned to the door way at the sound. This was it-she's here though I'm still a bit nervous.

But when the doors opened and a beautiful Shine stepped through wearing a slightly transparent white veil adorned with flowers, all nervousness vanished from my mind. Now, it was just the two of us.

Shine walked over to me with a smile on her face that I could see even through her veil.

"Wow Shine...you look...you look..." I was lost for words.

"Thanks." she said with a giggle.

The horn sounded again and all of the guests stood up. Shine and I then walked down the aisle side by side as everyone clapped. A few guests were already crying and, to my surprise, I saw Chi lips pressed with a tear in her eye holding hands with Slice.

We reached the end of the aisle where a Xatu stood. We stopped before him and sat down and the guests were silent. The Xatu surveyed the room before speaking.

"Friends, guests, we have gathered here to day to celebrate the bonding of these two souls, Shade and Shine."

"I have heard of how these two started. Back during the time of the war, Shade came across a wounded Shine and brought her to a cave where they spent the night unknowing that that single act of kindness would lead to where they are right now."

"To love someone who is regarded by many to be an enemy is truly admirable. To Shade, where she came from did not matter to him and together with those they call their friends, they ended the war. Their love was a stone able to whether a great war. Now that the time of peace has come upon us, the time has come for these two to be together."

The Xatu surveyed the room before speaking to me.

"Do you, Shade, take Shine to be your wife?"

"I do." I said proudly.

"And do you, Shine, take Shade to be your husband?"

"I do." she said beaming.

We turned to each other and placed our wedding rings on each others paws. After that, we turned again to the Xatu.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

It was the moment I've been waiting for. I faced Shine again and gently lifted the veil from her face. We gazed lovingly at each other before putting our arms around each other and kissed.

The whole room erupted into applause and cheering. As I stood there eyes closed savoring the moment, I felt numerous flower petals fall on us.

We broke away from the kiss and I waved my head towards the doors. Then Shine and I began to walk towards the doors while guest stood up and followed us.

The doors swung open and there was a large open air carriage pulled by two Rapidash. I help Shine up and soon we were on top of the carriage waving to everyone who followed us.

Then, Shine took the bouquet she was carrying and tossed it into the air. She then used Psychic to launch it into the crowd. Several female Pokemon scrambled to get it and in the end, it was Chi who had it. she looked at it for a while before turning to Slice who looked at her lovingly.

Finally it was time to go. The Rapidash began to pull the carriage and we slowly distanced from everyone. We gave some last few waves before we departed.

"So d'you think he's going to pop the question?" Shine asked me.

"I think we can count on that." I said with a smile. We were silent for a while.

"Shade, the sunset's beautiful." Shine said admiring at the orange sun on the horizon.

"Yeah but it's noting compared to you." I said with a smile.

"Oh stop." she said happily with a blush.

"Make me." I replied playfully and she did by kissing me.

"I love you Shade." she whispered.

"I love you Shine." I whispered back.

We pressed our lips together again and kissed for a long time. Then, we parted and I put one paw around her as we looked ahead.

And together, me and my wife Shine, we rode off into the sunset.


End file.
